Blue Bay Harbour
by iceprincessforever
Summary: *** UNDER CONSTRUCTION! ***
1. Author's Note

**A/N: **One thing that has always bugged me about the end of Ninja Storm was the lack of explanation as to how Lothor escaped from the Abyss. I plan to explain how that happened, why it happened, and who/what made it happen.

I also hated that Mesogog was the one who fed Lothor his comeuppance. After everything the Wind and Thunder Rangers have been through – it seems only fair to me that Lothor's downfall should have come from the heroes he terrorized.

As a result, the episodes: Ninja Storm: Storm Before The Calm, Dino Thunder's: Thunder Storm, and Operation Overdrive's: Once a Ranger, will be chapters in this story.

Therefore, all of the chapters between Storm Before The Calm and Thunder Storm will slowly but surely explain how Lothor managed to escape the abyss. It will also explain why our heroes acted the way they did in Thunder Storm (e.g. Blake and Tori barely acknowledging each other).

Therefore, the chapters after my October 2004 chapter (Ninja Storm/Dino Thunder team up) will: 1) follow Lothor's second return and ultimate demise, 2) the dragoon mystery, and 3) tested friendships and relationships.

**Opening Credits: **You can find the opening credits for this story posted on youtube. Just search for: "Blue Bay Harbour - Opening Credits" or look up my youtube account: wickedlyunique

**Inspiration: **When Ninja Storm ended, I desperately wished that the story could continue, because there was still SO much story left to be told. The characters STILL had power. As a result, the idea of 'Blue Bay Harbour' – a television drama, came to mind. If Ninja Storm had spawned a teen drama-esque sequel – I would imagine it would look a little something like this.

**Main Characters Featured In This Story**: Shane Clarke, Dustin Brooks, Tori Hanson, Blake Bradley, Hunter Bradley, Cam Watanabe, Kapri, Marah, Kelly Holloway, Sensei Watanabe, Lothor, Vexacus, Kelzacks, and Skyla.

**Recurring Characters**: Leanne Omino, Kira Ford, Conner McKnight, and Ethan James.

**Special Appearances**: Tommy Oliver, Trent Mercer, Hayley Ziktor, Cassidy Cornell, Devin Del Valle, Mesogog, Elsa, Mack Hartford, Will Aston, Dax Lo, Ronny Robinson, Rose Ortiz, Tyzonn, Bridge Carson, Thrax, Adam Park, Xander Bly, and Clare Langtree.

**Mentioned Characters**: Kimberly Hart, Katherine Hillard, Nick Russell, Madison Rocca, Vida Rocca, and Charlie 'Chip' Thorn.

**My Original Characters**: Gina, Paige, Austin, Faith, Hope, Noah, Matt, Liam, Amelia, Madeline, Daniel, Jacob, Peyton, Stealth Knights, Prince Mortem Dragoon, Naiya, Forestina; and the Dragoon sister's (well to some degree): Lady Serpent, Lady Phoenix, and Lady Dragon.

*** Enjoy ***


	2. November 2003

**Disclaimer: **I am definitely not Douglas Sloan, Ann Austen, Koichi Sakamoto or Janine Dickins. This series belongs to BVS Entertainment, ABC (ABC Kids), and ABC Family (Jetix).

*** I own nothing – expect the plot that I'm orchestrating. ***

…

_**November 10 - 15, 2003:**_

…

…

_If you spend your whole life waiting for the storm, you'll never enjoy the sunshine..._

**...**

Vexacus laughed and turned to look at Marah and Kapri, "Now that we have formed an alliance we must be very careful that your uncle does not suspect us."

Kapri examined a cuticle and flashed him a sinister glare, "let _us_ worry about him."

Marah nodded, as she stood by Kapri's side.

Kapri placed both of her hands on either side of her waist; taking an authoritative stance, "You just get ready to take on the rangers."

Vexacus cowered lightly, "Do you have the scroll?" he demanded.

Marah narrowed her blue eyes at him, "Of course we have it," she informed defensively, "we always have it."

"Wait here," Kapri instructed; her tone filled with annoyance, "where it's safe – away from uncle."

Vexacus shifted his feet.

"We'll come for you when the _time_ is right," Kapri added, after a beat; sensing his hesitancy.

"Give me the scroll! Now!" Vexacus demanded. He wasn't buying their act. He growled and took a fighting stance.

Marah wasn't having any of it, "hey!" She quickly threw a blast of energy at him. The bright light hit him square in the face. He took a step back; dazed.

"Back off!" Marah yelled; clearly insulted.

Kapri narrowed her green eyes at him, angrily.

Vexacus quickly regrouped; resuming his stance of caution, from earlier.

"You're a loose cannon and we don't _trust_ you," Marah added.

"We're calling the shots now," Kapri informed, "if you don't like it – take us on. We'd love the competition."

Vexacus took a step back. He knew he had more to lose than they did - if he didn't play their game. "Fine," he conceded, "I'll wait."

The girls walked away pleased with themselves; leaving him alone in the woods.

"But not for long," Vexacus added under his breath; once he was sure they were out of ear shot.

**...**

"I can't believe this!" Dustin exclaimed, as he entered Storm Chargers. He was carrying a box filled with oil containers. "I ask them for _four stroke_ oil," he informed; holding up a container with disdain, "they send me this _two stroke_ stuff!" He threw the container into the box he held with his free arm. "Baahh! What am I supposed to do with that?"

Kelly and Shane laughed at him mockingly from the front counter.

"What," Dustin asked looking from the box to his snickering friends, "What's so funny?"

Shane grinned, "Hey look. Forget about the oil," he dismissed as he approached him gleefully. "And pack your bags," he revealed, before walking away.

Dustin spun around; confusion filled his features, "Why? Where're we goin?"

Shane quickly headed over to the lounge, wordlessly; as if on a mission.

"You wanted to freestyle."

Dustin spun around to face Kelly as she approached him coyly; smiling like a Cheshire cat. She held a piece of paper in her hand, tentatively. "Well guess what?" she continued; grinning from ear to ear, "You're going to get your chance."

Dustin did a double take.

"Fill it out and sign it," Kelly instructed as she motioned to the paper she held between her slender fingers, "We have to get it in straight away if you wanna make the deadline."

She handed him the application in question. Dustin took it from her and flashed it a scrutinizing glance. He blinked with surprise.

He looked up at her in awe, "This is for the US action games!"

Kelly grinned at him. Dustin jumped on his spot excitedly; mimicking a kid in a candy store. "Are you serious!" he beamed.

"Yup and by the way," Kelly added, "On the sponsor - write Storm Chargers," she revealed with a wide smile, before walking away.

"Sponsor!" Dustin yelled; unable to contain himself. He spun around, "Hey," he yelled causing Shane to look up from his magazine – from across the room, "did you know about this?"

Shane jumped up on a couch, "I'm going too," he revealed, enthused. He throttled the couch like a skateboard. "For Skateboarding baby, yeah!"

"Awh yeah!" Dustin hooted.

"Whoo hoo!"

Tori entered Storm Chargers, causing Dustin to turn away from Shane. "Hey Tori," he greeted excitedly, "Awh! Check it out!" He grinned, as he handed her the application Kelly had given him earlier.

Tori smiled, "Oh Kelly's sponsoring you to go to the US action games in freestyle," she informed matter-of-factly, without glancing at Dustin's paper.

"Yeah," Dustin agreed, the smile slowly disappearing from his face, "How'd you know?" he asked confused.

"She showed me this morning," Tori explained as she headed off towards the lounge.

"Hey," she greeted, as she high fived Shane.

Dustin turned away from them, and found Hunter and Blake entering the store.

"Hey," both boys greeted.

"Hey guys," Dustin greeted as he props'd Blake. Hunter flashed him a head nod in greeting.

"Guess what!" Dustin continued.

"Ya! I know," Blake replied, as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans, "US action games, right?"

"That's awesome," Hunter added, as they slapped him on the arm in congratulations.

Dustin blinked, "What…" he watched as Blake and Hunter headed for the lounge, before following them.

"Hey guys," Blake greeted. Tori and Shane smiled up at them in greeting.

"Awh! So let me get this straight," Dustin continued as he stepped into the lounge, "everybody knew except for _me_?"

"Un hunh," Blake confirmed.

"Is that about right?" Dustin asked in disbelief.

"Yeah that's about right," Tori informed.

Dustin shook his head and took a seat on the coffee table.

"Yeah I hate that," Blake commented.

Dustin looked up at him, "Hey? Didn't you test today for Roger Hannah – the factory blue sponsorship?"

Hunter and Blake nodded.

"Oh that's right!" Tori exclaimed, a little too quickly than she should have, "How'd it go?"

"There was a photographer there from Dirt Works magazine," Hunter gushed, "he said he's _never_ seen anyone test that fast since _McGrath_ in '91!" he continued, slapping Blake proudly on the back.

"Awh!"

"Yyyyeaahh!"

Shane high fived Blake; excitedly.

"So? What's the deal?" Dustin asked Blake as the enthusiasm died down.

"I could Factory ride if I want it!" Blake revealed.

Tori smiled, "That's awesome," she enthused with forced jollity.

"Why wouldn't you want it?" Dustin asked lightly.

Blake shrugged, "Come on. Don't you think I'm little busy around here?"

"Yeah, but how can you pass up an opportunity like that," Shane reasoned.

Hunter nodded in agreement, his tone serious, "that's what I told him."

Blake frowned.

**...**

"Ha Ha Hahahahahahahahahaha!"

A knock at the door caused Lothor to frown. He spun around to see who had dared to interrupt his enjoyment.

"Uncle?"

Lothor sighed with annoyance.

"Can we … come in?" Kapri asked meekly.

"Please," Marah added timidly.

Lothor glared at them as they entered his lair. "What have you two been up to?" he demanded.

"Oh! You know," Marah stated matter-of-factly; her tone conveying that she knew something clandestine in nature. "A little of _this_ a little of _that_."

Both girls laughed.

Lothor joined them. He was pleased with how his plan was slowly unraveling. "Did he fall for it?"

"Awh, isn't he just a big fish?" Kapri remarked, "He took the bait and ran with it."

Lothor laughed; pleased.

"Is that it?" Marah asked gleefully.

Lothor ignored her. "The scroll of destiny," Lothor cooed, as he held the object in his hand; relishing in its feel.

"Can I touch it?" Marah asked; taking a step towards him.

"No!" Lothor barked. Marah cowered backwards. Kapri flashed her a scrutinizing look.

"The scroll tells of my travels through _time_ and space," Lothor revealed. "Recruiting the worst this galaxy has to offer… Then watching as they were destroyed one by one. Their energies are all preserved in a well hidden place."

Kapri arched an eyebrow.

"The abyss of evil," Marah stated knowingly.

"Yes," Lothor concurred, "and now the time has come for them to be reborn. To emerge and take arms against the power rangers!" he fumed; his voice raising an octave higher in anger. "I will lead them into battle … and then this planet will at last become _mine_!"

**...**

"Um question?" Tori asked as she entered the garage of Storm Chargers, "Did any of you guys happen to tell Sensei that we're going to the action games?"

Shane, Dustin, Blake and Hunter looked from one to the other, silently.

"Uh Oh!" Shane exclaimed, "Not me."

"Hey? What about Cam?" Dustin regarded, "Did you guys ask him if he wanted to go with us?"

**...**

"So it slipped all your minds?" Cam asked, "…I mean, Dustin I can believe."

"Hey," Dustin stated in offence, "I was the one who remembered."

Shane nodded confirming his statement, "it's true! He was."

"I can understand how this could have happened," Sensei theorized, while glancing up at the group. "It is a great honor to compete in such an event. I can only imagine the excitement can be quite a distraction."

"So is it alright if we go?" Tori asked; her tone patient.

"Yes of course," Sensei consented.

"yyeeahh!"

"aaawweesomme!"

"Ah ha!"

"Yeah"

**...**

"This is ill," Dustin laughed as they tumbled out of Tori's van.

"You guys better check in," Kelly instructed, "I'll make sure your gear's okay."

Cam smiled at her limberly. He could feel the amulet warm around his neck.

Hunter nodded; "we'll check the place out for uh…" he trailed off and let his eyes roam the premises.

"Let me guess," Tori clued, "chicks?"

A pretty redhead ran by laughing.

Hunter shrugged, "Now that you mentioned it," he stated devilishly.

Tori shook her head lightly.

"Come on I'll cruise with you," Cam offered.

Blake laughed, "CyberCam?"

"I'm not CyberCam," Cam replied, "Who says real Cam can't cruise?"

Hunter grinned, "Yeah!"

**...**

Kapri took a deep breath. It was either now or never.

Marah frowned, "Do we have to?"

"It's either this or…" Kapri trailed off.

Marah swallowed hard, "I choose this."

"Why doesn't that surprise me," Kapri muttered. "Let's go."

**...**

"Yeah so you should come out to the track sometime and watch a race," Hunter flirted.

The two girls in question, who he had chosen to size up, didn't seem interested. Hunter however was not getting the message. Cam had proven to be a horrible wingman. His thoughts seemed to be preoccupied elsewhere.

"Uh…Hunter?" Cam stated suddenly; tensed.

"Not now Cam," Hunter dismissed, irately.

"Yes! Now!" Cam insisted.

Hunter turned to look at him, but his eyes caught sight of the kelzacks infiltrating the premises. Disdain filled his features. He could see Marah and Kapri leading their troops.

Hunter frowned, "Uh…I gotta go," he bided the ladies. "But nice talkin' you."

He immediately went to Cam's side, "Come on!"

**...**

Marah shook her head, "How'd we end up like _this_?"

Kapri frowned, "Do you _really_ have to _ask_?"

Marah bit her lip, but then went rigid.

The action didn't go unnoticed by Kapri. She followed her sister's gaze, until she caught sight of Cam and Hunter heading their way.

She pursed her lips and sighed, "Game face on," she instructed.

Marah blinked, but obeyed her nonetheless. Within seconds both girls returned to their 'normal-ditzy-evil' selves. All signs of prior hesitation vanished from their faces.

Hunter and Cam approached them cautiously.

"Oh great," Kapri greeted with contempt.

"Hey! You _lost_?" Cam sneered.

Marah scowled, "Do we _look_ lost?"

"What a pain," Kapri droned. She pulled out Lothor's PAM and hit a button. "Kelzack Fury's," she instructed.

Hunter and Cam took a fighting stance.

"I think we might need a few extra hands," Cam noted.

Hunter remained silent. He let his eyes scope out his opponents.

The kelzack's charged at them. Cam and Hunter began their task of finishing them off.

"Aaargh!" voices rang out. Human voices.

Cam and Hunter looked up; momentarily caught off guard. The battle cry had come from neither of them, but rather three clearly delusional teens.

**...**

Kapri spun around; Marah mimicked her movements.

"Who are they?" Kapri asked as she narrowed her green eyes at the strangers in question.

"Oh who cares," Marah dismissed. "Let's just do what we came here to do and get outta here."

Kapri frowned.

The girls eyed the trio hesitantly for about a beat, before returning to their task at hand.

**...**

"You have to get out of here," Cam instructed.

"No! We're just trying to help," one of the teens reasoned.

"You can help by standing aside," Hunter yelled, before drop kicking a kelzack in the face. "And getting out of our way," he added before sucker punching another kelzack in the stomach.

To his dismay as well as Cam's the teens did not retreat.

**...**

"There it is," Marah noted as she and Kapri came to a clearing. She scanned the area with a peculiar device. "Okay everything looks good. We're right on schedule," she noted. "You ready?"

"Ready," Kapri replied; almost monotone. She whistled loudly; the action mimicked that of a siren song – one that reached the kelzacks ears. They responded to it, as expected, and vanished. Kapri and Marah soon followed suit.

Hunter and Cam looked around confused as they vanished.

"Ah!"

"Where'd they go?"

The teens glanced around in a daze; one of them lay sprawled across the floor. His friends came to his aid.

"Kyle? Are you alright?"

They scrambled to help up their friend.

Hunter and Cam approached them, austerely.

"What were you guys _thinking_?" Hunter asked sternly.

"We were _thinking_ you were in trouble," the fallen boy replied. "You should be _happy_ that we were here."

"No," Cam pointed out, "_You_ should be _happy_ that they all decided to _dematerialize_. You have no idea what you're dealing with."

"I'm gone," the fallen boy replied, with disappointment.

"Me too," their female comrade agreed; her tone held a twinge of disgust.

"Later dudes," the other boy bided.

The teens walked away, clearly upset.

**...**

"They were interested in this area here," Cam noted, "but it must have all been a diversion."

He was standing in the clearing where Kapri and Marah had been earlier. He glanced up to look at his friends. Everyone minus Blake peered back down at him.

"I don't see anything," Dustin responded with confusion. He let his eyes roam the clearing.

Cam shook his head, confused.

"Hey?" Shane asked suddenly, "What's wrong with your amulet?"

Cam narrowed his eyes at him, "What do you mean?" he then looked down quickly; the amulet glowed; mirroring that of a light bulb, but then short fused. It shocked Cam lightly in the process.

"Ah!" Cam yelled; a mixture of surprise and pain.

"What is it?" Tori cautioned.

"It's frozen," Cam revealed in alarm.

"Frozen?" Dustin laughed, "Dude it's like eighty degrees out."

"No kidding," Cam replied sarcastically. He ripped the amulet from his neck, and inspected it. "I better get back to ninja ops and do some tests on it there and see what this is all about."

**...**

"I don't know dad," Cam expressed; frustrated, "I can't figure out why the amulet reacted that way. It's even drawing power away from the reactors. It's never done anything like this before."

"How has it reacted in the _past_?" Sensei asked.

"Well," Cam began thoughtfully, "once or twice it's gotten really warm but that was only when something good happened."

"Interesting," Sensei noted, "one might conclude that-"

"Since warmth comes from good," Cam interrupted; picking up on his father's point, "cold must come from bad or evil! I can't believe I didn't think of that?...I must be losing my edge?"

"Some concepts," Sensei enlightened, "though they may seem simple are the most difficult, especially those that pertain to the powers of good and evil."

**...**

Marah bit her lip, "He's going to be pissed! I can feel it. He'll kill us!"

"Don't talk like that!" Kapri lectured, "Come to think of it! … Don't talk at all! Leave the talking to me. I'll fix this."

Marah sighed and followed Kapri to Lothor's lair.

"Game face on!" Kapri ordered.

"I know," Marah muttered.

They took a deep breath and pranced into Lothor's lair.

"Hey uncle," Kapri greeted, "You know how you like this whole 'good news / bad news,' thing."

"Yes," Lothor replied sarcastically, "I quite do actually."

"Well," Marah began, "we've got one for you. A really good one." She could see Kapri shoot daggers at her, from the corner of her eyes, for not sticking to the plan.

"Yeah," Kapri added. "You see the abyss of evil is nearly completely full. It's ready to explode. Kaboom! Tons of evil spilling out over the earth."

"That would be the good news," Lothor noted.

"For us yes," Marah replied, "Now the bad…"

Kapri eyed her cautiously.

"It's sitting on top of a place where the rangers are right now," Marah revealed.

"I see," Lothor exhaled, "Well I suppose we'll have to do something about that."

He looked down at his monitor and grinned, "You've been quite useful Vexacus. Now it's _your_ turn to feed my evil plan."

"Sounds like fun," Marah laughed; devilishly.

"Never did like him anyways," Kapri added, wickedly.

Both girls laughed, before disappearing.

Lothor returned his attention back to the monitor at hand.

**...**

"Ugh! Where are they?" Vexacus fretted, as he marched through the woods.

"Hey!" Marah beckoned loudly.

Vexacus spun around and found Kapri and Marah standing behind him.

"Where's the scroll?" he demanded, "I've been waiting an eternity! You have no idea how _angry_ that makes me!"

"Good!" Kapri replied, as she pulled out Lothor's PAM. "Use it!" She hit a button. A neon pink laser shot out of it and hit Vexacus. The pink light soon engulfed him.

"Scroll of empowerment," Kapri commanded, "Descend!"

As expected, the scroll appeared; illuminating the sky. Its energy descended upon Vexacus. Vexacus laughed manically, as the energy did wonders for his body. Within moments he was taller than a skyscraper.

"Now that's what I call power!" Vexacus laughed, sinisterly.

Kapri and Marah took the opportunity to teleport out of his midst.

"I will destroy the power rangers," Vexacus revealed, "and Lothor's evil empire will be _mine_!"

**...**

"It's around here somewhere," Marah explained, "I just know it is."

They were walking in front of the waterfall; scouring the area with purpose.

Marah headed into the dense forest, with Kapri hot on her trail.

"Keep up!" Marah ordered, as Kapri began to lag behind. She tugged at a tree branch as she went. The after effect sent the branch flying backwards harshly. It collided with Kapri's face.

"Hey!" Kapri screamed. She frowned; momentarily dazed, but soon caught sight of what they were looking for. "Ooh! There!"

Marah followed her to the object at hand. They began to ruffle through old leaves, dirt and twigs. They came across a metal lid.

"Excellent," Marah noted.

"And it's green," Kapri remarked, "nice touch."

They pulled at the lid. The object malfunctioned instantly. Sparks shot out from the ground in protest.

**...**

"Well that's not good," Cam stated with disgust, as he eyed a monitor in ninja ops. Vexacus was showcased on the screen reeking havoc. "I'll handle this one myself," Cam added as he began typing on his keyboard.

To his dismay his computer began to malfunction. "Come on!" Cam complained, "I can't believe this!"

"Yo! Wat up!" CyberCam greeted as he materialized suddenly.

Cam looked up at him; frustrated. "The hydraulic portals to the samurai star megazord have lost power."

CyberCam looked back at him unfazed, "bummer."

"Listen," Cam instructed, "there's a manual override lever in the-"

"Green box outside the entrance to the hanger," CyberCam finished knowingly. Cam nodded.

"I know," CyberCam reminded, "You programmed that information into me."

"Right," Cam stated impatiently, "I forget sometimes. See if you can reset it from there. I'm going to call the rangers."

CyberCam nodded, "On my way," he informed, before dematerializing.

**...**

Shane looked around cautiously as his morpher went off. He raised his wrist, and placed the morpher closer to his ear.

"Rangers," Cam's voice boomed from the device, "I'm sending the zords to you. There's a big fish in a little pond you need to deal with."

"On our way Cam," Shane promised. He nodded quickly at his friends; a silent order that it was time to get down to business.

**...**

Tori, Blake, Dustin, Hunter, and Shane began exiting the bleachers.

Consequently, Kelly took notice. "Where are you guys going?" she called after them.

"Uh…bathroom," Dustin replied quickly.

Kelly blinked, "All of you?" she stated incredulously.

"We'll be back," Shane assured, "I promise."

Kelly watched them leave, stupefied.

**...**

"Hmmm," CyberCam frowned as he looked down at the manual override, or rather what was left of it. "This is not good."

**...**

"Ready?" Shane asked as his friends followed him into a deserted alleyway.

"Ready."

"Ninja Storm."

"Thunder Storm."

"Ranger Form! Ha!"

"Ninja Ranger Power!"

**...**

As expected the zords appeared. The rangers immediately sprang to their respective zords.

Vexacus frowned as the Thunderstorm Megazord appeared in front of him.

"You guys ready to roll?" Shane hyped.

"Yeah!"

"Totally!"

"You know it!"

The battle was on.

**...**

Vexacus began to get cocky.

"Mighty Mammoth Zord," the rangers commanded.

They charged him, momentarily gaining momentum, but the victory was short-lived.

"Land Shark!" Vexacus screamed; he charged them with unexpected force. The rangers clattered to the ground.

**...**

"Sorry Kelly," an older man, informed, "but if they aren't here for the first run. I can't hold up for them."

"But I know they'll be back," Kelly pleaded.

"Well then you should have no problems," he replied. "Sorry I can't do more."

Kelly nodded knowingly, and began to walk away.

However, the earth moved suddenly beneath her feet. She wobbled on impulse, and reached out for something solid – in an attempt to steady herself.

Off in the distance the abyss began to open.

**...**

"Victory is mine!" Vexacus laughed.

The rangers retreated to their respective Thunder and Wind Megazords.

"I don't think so," Hunter fumed.

"Its thunder time," Blake informed.

The Thunder Rangers charged Vexacus, while the Wind Rangers looked on.

The Thunder Megazord locked Vexacus in a death grip.

"Watch out!" Shane shouted suddenly.

But it was too late, for Vexacus tampered with their Zord. "Goodbye Thunder Rangers!"

"It's gonna blow!" Shane yelled.

Tori screamed; her heart skipped a beat in the process.

"Get out of their!" Dustin pleaded.

To their dismay the Thunder Megazord exploded; destroying Vexacus along with it.

"Noooo!" Shane yelled; distraught.

**...**

"Yessss!" Lothor laughed. He watched happily as Vexacus's energies were transferred to the abyss.

As expected the abyss rippled louder; century's worth of evils bubbled higher towards the surface.

**...**

"Cam!" Shane's voice rang out suddenly. Cam frowned as he eyed the scenario on the monitor.

"We've reached the Thunder Zord's wreckage. It doesn't look good," Shane continued gravely.

"Any sign of Hunter and Blake?" Tori asked hopefully.

"I'm getting inferred heat signatures in the area," Cam informed, "but there's a lot of interference. I can't pinpoint an exact location."

"Keep trying to establish contact," Shane ordered. "We'll head back to ops and regroup."

**...**

"All the pieces are coming together," Lothor noted, as he eyed his monitor, "and look," he pointed out, as he eyed CyberCam, "CyberCam repair service…"

He directed his attention to Marah and Kapri. "Do you have the Cybernetic virus?"

"It's programmed into our PAM," Kapri notified.

"Good," Lothor stated; pleased.

He turned to look at Marah, "Shall we?"

"Oh let's," Marah laughed, "I love family outings."

**...**

CyberCam inspected the wires cautiously. He scrutinized the wreckage carefully.

"Hello CyberNephew!"

CyberCam nearly jumped out of his circuits. He spun around to face Lothor, Kapri and Marah.

Marah shot him with a laser. He fell to the ground and became motionless.

**...**

"This is so frustrating," Cam fussed. "I still can't get a read on Hunter and Blake."

He paused suddenly, "That's weird," he stated after a beat, "CyberCam's gone too."

"Keep trying," Sensei persisted. "Keep trying."

Cam nodded.

"Yes Cam," Lothor mocked.

Cam spun around quickly. His eyes widened in shock.

"Keep trying," Lothor teased.

Sensei gasped.

Kapri and Marah entered ninja ops, with a clearly dazed CyberCam.

"Hello Nephew," Lothor jeered.

"How did _you_ get in _here_," Cam demanded.

"Your reprogrammed cybernetic replica led us inside," he chided.

Kapri pushed CyberCam violently to the floor.

"Then I used my DNA handprint," Lothor continued; proudly, "the same as my brother's."

Sensei frowned.

"Or what it _used _to be," Lothor offended, "to take us the rest of the way,"

"I am no brother of yours," Sensei shotback, "our family tie has long been broken."

"You'll never get out of here with him," Cam warned.

"I didn't come for him nephew," Lothor hissed, "I came for _you_."

"Heh. Ha!" Cam laughed, "You're dreaming Lothor," he spat.

"Perhaps," Lothor heckled, "but is it so wrong to dream of a world where the ultimate evil rules over all those who inhabit it? Where I Lothor command an army of thousands and all those who live in my shadow must bow down to my greatness? Is that so wrong?"

Cam blinked. "Uh…yes," he answered coolly.

"Fine!" Lothor threatened. "Have it your way!"

Cam's eyes widened. He quickly jumped out of Lothor's way; avoiding a beam of red light, shot dangerously close to his face.

Lothor charged at Sensei heatedly. Sensei quickly sidestepped him, and dogged his attacks.

Lothor fumed, "Trash it all!" he commanded.

Cam met Kapri and Marah's gaze; he could have sworn that he saw a glimmer of doubt flash across their faces. But their expressions soon turned vindictive. He dismissed their hesitancy from his mind.

The girls charged towards the structure of ninja ops, with swords in hand. They began to slash everything in sight.

Cam got up from the floor and attacked Lothor, but Lothor proved to be to strong. He narrowly escaped another beam attack.

Lothor engulfed the place with beams; destroying the beloved haven in the process.

A beam narrowly missed Sensei, but its force caused him to be impelled backwards into oblivion.

"Get up!" Lothor hollered as he picked up Cam, roughly.

Cam struggled against him.

"Let him go!" Sensei ordered; suddenly reappearing. He lunged at Lothor, but Lothor rebutted his attack. He sent him flying backwards with one of his killer beams.

"Noooooo!" Cam yelled in despair. "Dad!"

Lothor laughed, as he dragged Cam away.

**...**

"What happened?" Shane yelled as he entered what was left of ninja ops.

"It's trashed!" Dustin exclaimed.

"No!" Tori cried.

"Cam?" Shane called out; hopefully, "Sensei?...CyberCam?" he exhaled heavily, "Where are they?"

"Tori, they'll be here somewhere," Dustin assured, with as much conviction as he could muster.

"They have to be," Tori solidified, "If anyone can survive this it's Cam and Sensei."

**...**

"You won't get away with this Lothor," Cam warned, "Whatever you're doing it won't work."

He was trapped. Lothor had tied him to a pillar. His hands were bounded; he couldn't escape.

"Oh yee of little faith," Lothor tormented; he flung open the scroll of destiny, "Is that anyway to talk to your uncle."

"The scroll of destiny," Cam noted, "That's been missing from the wind ninja academy for years."

"Before our ceremonious meeting in the _past_," Lothor sneered. "I borrowed it," he revealed, "to ensure my _future_. It's the key to my master plan."

Cam grinned in disbelief, "You based your master plan on some beat up old piece of paper?"

"This beat up old piece of paper has accurately predicted everything," Lothor seethed, "See this part near the bottom," he emphasized while pointing at a noticeable rip. "That's where I destroy earth once and for all."

"Aren't you missing something," Cam pointed out, "Where's the rest of the scroll?"

"Nice try," Lothor laughed, "but save it. I know exactly what happens next," he menaced, as he approached Cam. He ripped the amulet off from Cam's neck violently.

"No!" Cam protested.

"Its payback time nephew," Lothor informed angrily.

Cam frowned; off in the distance he could here Marah and Kapri laughing at his predicament.

**...**

"This can't be how it ends," Shane grimaced. He struggled to lift one of the fallen pillars within ninja ops.

"Woah!" Hunter commented; his voice reaching their surprised ears. "What happened here?"

Shane, Dustin, and Tori dropped what they were doing, and spun around, astonished.

"You guys made it!" Dustin cried happily. "I thought that you'd be toast for sure."

The Wind rangers approached the Thunders to shower them with hugs.

"Vexacus torched the Thunder Megazord," Blake revealed. "So we ejected."

"Where's Cam?" Hunter asked.

"Don't know," Shane divulged, gravely.

"Sensei?" Hunter tensed.

"Lothor got here before we did," Dustin muttered sadly, as he motioned to the wreckage.

"We were too late," Shane grumbled, ashamed.

"Better late than never is what I always say," Sensei enlightened as he entered in what was left of ninja ops. He was finally restored to his human form, and was no longer a guinea pig.

The group met his gaze; happy and surprised.

"Sensei?"

"Oh! You're okay!"

The wind ninja's ran towards him and engulfed him in a bear hug.

"It's good to see you," Hunter greeted. "_Finally_."

"You're like uh totally normal," Dustin beamed.

"Lothor's energy blast reversed the transmutation and allowed me to return to my human form," Sensei disclosed, happily.

"But," Tori began hesitantly, "Where's Cam?"

Sensei frowned. "He has been captured."

"We'll get him back Sensei," Tori assured.

"It will not be easy Tori," Sensei glowered. "My darkest fear has come to pass. Lothor's preparing to open the abyss of evil."

"Are you serious?" Blake stated incredulously, "but I thought that was just ninja folklore."

"It is no coincidence that Blue Bay Harbor is home to the Wind Ninja Academy," Sensei informed, "We are the guardians of an invisible gateway. A gateway that once opened will allow all the evil of ages gone by to escape."

"Then why hasn't Lothor opened it before now?" Shane asked.

"The abyss can only be opened when it is filled to capacity," Sensei explained, "Even then it can only be opened by a mighty force."

"The Samurai Amulet," Tori stated knowingly; piecing the puzzle together.

"Yes," Sensei confirmed, "I believe that Lothor intends to use Cam's powers to open the abyss, and allow the army of evil to enter our world."

**...**

"That's right," Lothor grinned, as he eyed the amulet. "Drain all its precious energy." He admired the device he had attached to the amulet; sucking the life out of it.

"I've set the self destruct mechanism on the ships bridge sir," Choobo reported, "just like you ordered."

"Excellent," Lothor enthused.

Marah and Kapri shot each other curious glances.

"Yeah, uncle what about us?" Marah asked.

"What about _you_?" Lothor sneered.

"Well now that we're really _evil_ don't we get to play apart in your ultimate victory?" Kapri questioned.

"Now that you're _evil_ I suppose I can't really _trust_ you, can I?" Lothor spat back.

Marah's eyes widened with disbelief.

"You were a little bit too enthusiastic when you were plotting with Shimazu against me!" Lothor fumed.

"But uncle," Marah reasoned, "you told us to do that!"

"Remember!" Kapri reminded, "We were all in it _together_ to trick Vexacus into trying to get rid of your generals."

"Yes, yes," Lothor remembered," we had to make sure that the abyss was at maximum capacity."

"But you know," he added after a beat, "There's always room for two more!"

Marah looked at him agape, while Kapri sat almost motionless - looking as though someone had slapped her in the face.

"Choobo!" Lothor ordered.

As commanded Choobo appeared, surrounded by kelzacks. They dragged the stupefied girls out of Lothor's lair; carrying them off to meet their doom.

**...**

"We have to stop the abyss from opening," Shane instructed. "There has to be a way."

"We need help," Blake rationalized, "ninja help."

"Where are we going to find that?" Shane asked fretfully.

"Lothor's ship," Hunter explained. "Every ninja on the planet is locked up there."

"We can take the dragon force vehicle," Dustin theorized.

"Wait!" Hunter halted, "Blake and I should go alone."

Tori narrowed her eyes at his statement; conveying she didn't like that idea one bit. Blake avoided her gaze.

"We've been on to Lothor's ship," Hunter added quickly, "we know where to look for the others."

"The dragon force vehicle is in the zord bay," Sensei revealed, "be careful and thank you for your courage."

"You can thank us when we come back," Blake stated; though he was staring at Tori when he said this.

Tori took a calming breath.

"Let's go," Hunter ordered.

The Wind ninja's watched as they left, vigilantly.

**...**

Meanwhile, back at the action games – the scene was one of chaos.

"The action games are officially postponed. Everyone proceed to a designated and safe area!"

**...**

Cam frowned as he watched the kelzacks and Choobo enter the room, he had now deemed his prison.

He wrinkled his eyebrows in confusion as he watched them tie Marah and Kapri on to a neighboring pillar.

Marah had fainted out of shock. She stood limply, slouched up against the pillar. Kapri shot her a wary glance.

Cam chuckled lightly, "Gotta love karma."

Kapri shot him a death glare.

**...**

"I keep thinking it's _my_ fault," Shane muttered.

"That's crazy," Tori replied. "How could you have done anything differently?"

"Being a better ranger," Shane berated, "if we'd destroyed Lothor sooner none of this would have happened." Shane took a deep breath. He imagined the academy running again. He remembered his classes. He remembered Skyla… If Lothor had been destroyed before her arrival, could she have lived?

"You guys ever think if we hadn't been late to class that day," Dustin muttered; interrupting Shane's thoughts, "we wouldn't even be power rangers."

"You were always meant to be rangers," Sensei revealed.

"What do you mean?" Shane asked.

Sensei approached them with a silver box in hand. He set it down, and pulled out a ripped piece of parchment. "This," he enlightened as he handed them the brittle paper, "is the last entry on the scroll of destiny."

Dustin took it, as Tori and Shane looked over his shoulders.

"It's us!" Dustin exclaimed.

"Now way," Tori laughed.

"As you can see," Sensei continued, "you were late precisely so that you would be the ones to become power rangers."

"And you knew this all along?" Shane asked skeptically. "Why didn't you show us this sooner?"

"Would you have believed me had you not learned the truth for yourself?" Sensei enlightened. "I have never doubted the scrolls prophecy and neither should you."

"So what happens next?" Shane asked.

"This is the end of the scroll," Sensei revealed. "It does not say who will be victorious; only that you must be there to face Lothor at the abyss of evil."

"That's where we'll be," Shane guaranteed. "Ready?"

"Ready," Tori and Dustin answered in unison.

"Ninja Storm! Ranger Form! Ha!"

**...**

"So did Lothor finally tire of your whining?" Cam asked smartly.

Kapri frowned, "Don't label me," she muttered, "You don't know me."

Cam smirked.

Kapri fought against her shackles; Marah to her dismay, was still unconscious.

"Doesn't work," Cam informed, "Trust me. I've tried."

"Trust _you_?" Kapri scoffed. "I think I'll take my chances."

"Right," Cam laughed. "I forgot. Your kind doesn't bode well with humans."

"You know nothing about my _kind_," Kapri shotback. "What? You think you're better than us because you're _human_? I'm the best of both world's pal, and speaking from experience _aliens_ trump humans."

Cam frowned as he watched her struggle against her shackles. "Best of both world's?... You mean to say that you and Marah are…" He struggled to make sense of her words.

Kapri arched an eyebrow, "Is it that hard to process?" She finally gave up her fight against her constraints. She turned to look at Cam. "Yes," she answered after a beat.

Cam looked at her confused.

"Hybrid… Half-breed… I have no idea what you humans call it," Kapri explained dismissively, "but yes. That's what we are. Half human/half alien."

Cam blinked. He hadn't expected her to answer. Maybe the knowledge of imminent death was making her chatty.

"So was it your mother who was human? Or your father?" Cam asked. He wasn't sure why he had asked. Maybe it was boredom or the growing despair he felt about his bleak escape; either way - talking to her distracted him, and he was badly in need of a distraction.

"My mother was human," Kapri answered with a sigh.

"What happened to them?" Cam asked after a beat.

Kapri tensed; "I'd rather not talk about that."

Cam nodded lightly, "Okay."

"So…" he began again; he saw Kapri roll her eyes in annoyance. "Who exactly did Lothor marry?"

Kapri blinked, "Hunh?"

"You guys call him uncle," Cam explained.

"We're related to him by marriage," Kapri explained.

"I know," Cam stated matter-of-factly. "So who did he marry?"

Kapri laughed a bitter laugh, "Like Lothor could ever love anyone. He doesn't understand the meaning of the word."

Cam looked at her confused.

"We may be related to Lothor by marriage," Kapri explained, "But not through his marriage."

Cam narrowed his eyes at her; obviously not following.

"Your mother," Kapri elucidated, "Miko; she's my mother's sister."

"What?" Cam yelled agape.

"Miko is our aunt," Kapri clarified, oblivious to his shock, "Her sister Naiya is our mother."

Marah stirred lightly; her eyes soon fluttered open. She looked from Kapri to Cam; confused.

**...**

Shane, Dustin, and Tori exploded onto the scene of chaos. They immediately sprang into action to take on the kelzacks.

Lothor soon roared upon the scene in a megazord of his own.

The Wind Rangers looked up at him in anger.

**...**

"We don't have much time before this place self destructs," Choobo alerted his troop of kelzacks, "let's get out of here."

Blake and Hunter stepped out of the shadows. They watched Choobo disappear, cautiously.

"Great," Blake stated, once he was sure they were out of earshot, "ticking clock on top of everything else."

Hunter frowned with disgust, "We better find Cam."

**...**

Lothor hauled a beam of energy, which he accumulated from the samurai amulet, at the abyss.

"We've got to stop him," Tori cried.

"This is it," Shane instructed; he raised his morpher to his mouth, "Megazord time!"

As instructed, their zords appeared. They each sprang to their respective zords. Within seconds they were assembled in their megazord.

"Ready Rangers?" Shane asked.

"Ready!" Tori and Dustin replied.

Lothor sprung a blast of energy at them.

**...**

"This way," Blake yelled as he ran; Hunter was hot on his trail.

Cam redirected his attention towards Blake and Hunter.

"Cam!" Hunter yelled in alarm.

Cam sighed with relief.

They immediately ran towards him.

"Thanks guys," Cam thanked as they undid his restraints.

"Hey?" Marah reasoned. "You can't just leave us here."

Blake frowned.

Hunter eyed them hatefully, "Why shouldn't we?"

Marah exhaled unsure of how to answer.

Kapri arched an eyebrow at Cam.

Cam nodded at her knowingly, "Because they're family."

Blake's eyes widened, but he took a step towards Marah and began to untie her shackles.

Cam eyed Hunter pleadingly. Hunter frowned. He grumbled something under his breath, but approached Kapri nonetheless.

"Thank you," Kapri replied, "Thank you so much."

**...**

Sensei frowned as he examined the grounds of the academy. The entire place was still in shambles. It looked almost barren. The lush green grass that had once grew across the acres, were replaced by ash. The grande pillars of the academy lay broken on the ground.

He sighed as he approached the one freestanding structure still in place: an ancient statue. Ninja folklore foretold of three sisters: Lady Serpent, Lady Phoenix, and Lady Dragon; each of whom were guardians of the light.

He scrutinized the statue with care, "I shall be expecting you," he whispered softly. "…but all in due _time_."

**...**

"We gotta get out of here," Blake hollered; just as the spaceship shock violently. The loud echo of an explosion met their ears.

"Can you tell me how to release the ninja student pods?" Cam grilled quickly. Kapri opened her mouth to answer, but Marah wasn't having any of it.

"Hey cousin?" Marah asked suddenly, "you know the yellow ranger? I was just wondering - is he still mad at me? Because I think he's really cute, and I think-"

"Can we talk about this later?" Cam yelled, incredulously.

He spun them around quickly, but the trio froze in their tracks.

"Hello," Choobo greeted, "going somewhere?"

Cam glanced around quickly; noting the number of kelzacks mentally.

"I see you have some new friends," Choobo jeered. "This should be fun."

Hunter eyed Choobo bitterly, "for old time's sake?" he asked Blake.

"Oh yeah," Blake agreed; his voice dripped with the destruction he had in mind of unleashing.

Cam eyed the kelzacks warily.

"Thunder Storm! Ranger Form! Ha!" Blake and Hunter yelled.

The three boys charged at the kelzacks.

**...**

The Wind Megazord hit the ground with a thud.

Lothor laughed, "This is the most fun I've had all season."

**...**

"Hey cousin," Marah yelled as she grabbed Cam. Another explosion shook the spaceship violently.

Cam eyed her uncertainly.

"If you blow that consol," she informed while pointing at a machine, "it'll short out all the ships main operating systems and release the ninja students."

Cam did a double take; impressed. "You're really not dumb."

"Yeah," Marah agreed matter-of-factly, "I know. I keep telling people, but no one ever listens to me."

The spaceship shook viciously.

Cam fell backwards. "Hunter! Blake!" he yelled, "You gotta blow the consol!"

"Right!" They replied. They ran towards the machine, "Thunder Blaster!" They aimed the said device at the machine. "Fire!"

As expected, the Thunder Blaster unleashed a blast of energy. The machine shorted out, just as Marah foretold.

The force field binding the ninja students broke; just as the ship began to self destruct.

"Run!" Blake screamed.

"Teleporting now!" Cam instructed.

The ninja students, the Thunder Rangers, Kapri and Marah obeyed.

The ship exploded upon their departure.

**...**

Tori, Shane, and Dustin struggled to get up.

"Taste your defeat," Lothor mocked.

"Never!" Shane yelled, fiercely, "Fire!"

A blast of energy hit Lothor's zord square in the chest.

The action only seemed to anger him; he was not going to destruct alone. He grabbed on to the Wind Megazord.

Shane, Dustin, and Tori ejected quickly; just in time to watch their beloved megazord explode.

**...**

The ground of Blue Bay Harbor shook violently.

"What's happening?" Shane yelled.

"I don't know," Tori cried.

The ground spilt open; the gateway flew open viciously. Orbs of purple energies cannoned out of the abyss.

"Oh no!" Dustin frowned, "Not good!"

Tori gasped.

"Their back," Shane stated in shock. He let his eyes roam the premises. His skin crawled as he locked gazes with over a hundred space mutants.

Lothor laughed sadistically as he approached them. The mutants moved aside as he made his way.

Shane growled.

"How does it feel to fail rangers?" Lothor teased.

"You should know," Shane shotback.

"Not this time," Lothor assured.

Shane wasn't having it. "Ready?" he instructed.

Tori and Dustin got into a fighting stance.

"Destroy them!" Lothor ordered his troops.

They charged.

**...**

Marah and Kapri looked around in shock.

"Where are we?" Marah asked as she got up from the ground.

Kapri looked around in a daze, "Where's Cam?"

Marah coughed, she got up from the ground timidly. She helped Kapri get up on her feet.

Kapri narrowed her eyes at the barren land, "Hey? Isn't this…"

"The Wind Ninja Academy," Sensei answered.

Both girls spun around on guard. They eyed him dubiously.

"Relax," Sensei enlightened. "I mean you know harm."

"We'll just see about that," Kapri replied back.

Marah dropped her fighting stance, "Your Cam's father."

"Yes," Sensei confirmed.

"The guinea pig?" Kapri questioned, skyward.

"I _was_ a guinea pig," Sensei corrected.

Kapri slowly dropped her fighting stance.

"How can you be so nice to us," Marah asked; her tone filled with shame, "We destroyed your school."

"Blood is thicker than water," Sensei enlightened, "Your family."

Kapri shook her head, "No! That's no excuse. That shouldn't be reason enough to give us a free pass. It's not right."

"_Right_?" Sensei questioned. "Do you know the difference?

Kapri bit her lip.

Sensei sighed. "I know what happened to your parents."

Marah gasped.

Kapri eyed him distrustfully.

"I understand that you were scared," Sensei explained. "I am giving you a chance to make amends."

He extended his hand towards them, "Do you accept?"

**...**

Shane, Dustin, and Tori were thrown aside like rag dolls. They got up from the ground slowly, only to realize that they were surrounded by monsters.

A beam of light sent a group of space mutants cowering backwards. Shane, Dustin, and Tori looked up at the sky.

"Mind if I play too?" Hunter yelled as he soared above on his ninja glider cycle.

Lothor looked up at him with disgust, "You will never stop me!"

"But we will," Blake informed. Lothor spun around to lock eyes with the Navy Thunder Ranger. He wasn't alone – the captive ninja students were with him.

Hunter jumped off his cycle; he glided effortlessly to the ground.

Shane smiled. He silently thanked Skyla for her gift. "Battlizer!" he commanded.

"Kelzacks!" Lothor ordered. His troops appeared behind him within moments.

"Attack!"

**...**

Kapri arched an eyebrow as she examined her ninja outfit.

"Um uncle?" Marah asked, but then paused, "…can we call you uncle?"

Sensei smiled, "of course."

"Why are our colors different from the rest of the other students?" Marah questioned.

"Yeah?" Kapri agreed, "I mean, pink and orange? What's with that?"

"You will only be new students for a short while," Sensei explained. "Your powers are far to _grande_ to be suppressed to that of a _students_."

"I don't understand?" Marah commented; not getting his point.

"Kapri? Did you honestly think that it was a mere coincidence that you had the power to project ice?" Sensei asked the confused girl.

Kapri blinked.

Marah laughed, "Her ice breath thing? Heh. _Cool_, hunh?"

Kapri rolled her eyes at her sister.

"Marah," Sensei enlightened; Marah stopped giggling and turned to look at him with wide eyes. "Shielding isn't your only special talent…"

Marah blinked, she turned to look at Kapri, "How did he-"

Kapri rose a hand to silence her, "He's bluffing," she muttered.

She turned to look at Sensei, "You're bluffing…"

"There's a reason you don't let her get _angry_," Sensei noted, "I mean, really _angry_."

Kapri eyed him agape.

Marah gasped, "Stalker! How dare you-"

"I wish to help you," Sensei interrupted.

Marah frowned; she pouted and turned to look at Kapri. Disbelief etched across her face.

Kapri nodded wordlessly, "We accept."

**...**

One by one the monsters slowly returned back into the abyss.

"Battlizer flight mode," Shane instructed.

Upon transformation, he quickly went to town on a group of monsters.

Lothor fumed. He quickly shot a beam of energy at Shane.

Shane fell from the sky to the ground. His friends ran to his aid.

"He destroyed the _Battlizer!_" Shane cried. His heart wept silently; he had destroyed Skyla.

Lothor grinned. The Rangers eyed him hatefully.

Lothor lunged at them ready to attack.

**...**

"Where did you get those?" Kapri asked in astonishment.

"They were lying around the spaceship," Marah explained, "So I just took them."

Sensei blinked, as he watched her pull scrolls out from under her dress.

"You are truly something else," Kapri fretted, "you know that?"

"Hey!" Marah reasoned, "I thought they might come in handy."

Sensei picked up one of the scrolls, "The Scroll of Restoration," he stated in awe.

Marah beamed.

"That's a good thing?" Kapri asked.

Sensei laughed, "It's a _great _thing."

**...**

"Give me those Ranger powers," Lothor instructed. He pulled out the samurai amulet from his pocket and aimed it at Hunter and Blake. Within moments, their powers were drained from their bodies.

"Nothing can stop the power of the amulet," Lothor laughed.

"I believe that belongs to me," Cam interrupted. Lothor spun around to face his nephew.

"Not anymore," he sneered.

He threw a blast of energy at Cam. The power caused Cam to cower backwards.

Lothor lunged towards him, "goodbye nephew."

Shane, Dustin, and Tori blocked his path.

"He's not going anywhere with you," Shane yelled.

Lothor glowered, "Fine!" he yelled, "I'll just take _you_ in his place."

He aimed the amulet at Shane, Dustin, and Tori. Within moments, their powers were drained from theirs bodies too.

Lothor frowned as the fallen Rangers got back up on to their feet. "You fools!" he berated, "Haven't you had enough!"

**...**

"Scroll of Restoration," Sensei commanded as he threw the scroll into the air, "Descend."

Marah and Kapri watched as he did so, proudly.

A bright light illuminated the Scroll; within moments the Scroll expanded in size tenfold.

**...**

Lothor laughed as he threw the rangers aside.

Shane, Dustin, and Tori got back up on to their feet.

"I've got your ranger powers," Lothor sneered, "You are at my mercy once and for all."

"We won't let you win," Shane snarled. He was out for blood. He could feel the adrenaline course through his body. This was not how it would end. He had to do this for Skyla. Her death would not be in vain.

"What can you do to me without your powers," Lothor growled.

"We may not be power rangers," Shane enlightened, "but we still have _power_!"

Lothor blinked.

"Power of Air!" Shane commanded.

"Power of Earth!" Dustin ordered.

"Power of Water!" Tori demanded.

Lothor cowered back as a small tornado engulfed him.

"Ninja Powers!" Shane, Dustin, and Tori yelled.

Cam, Hunter, and Blake watched from afar.

Their powers hit Lothor violently in the chest. "Noooo!" Lothor screamed. He felt his body being dragged towards the abyss.

Shane, Dustin, and Tori didn't relent. They persisted until the abyss swallowed him whole.

**...**

"The school!" Sensei stated in amazement, "It's restored."

Marah grinned; she spun around to face Kapri, but found her sister missing.

She let her eyes roam the premises, and soon found Kapri standing by a statue,

"What's wrong?" Marah asked.

Kapri tore her eyes away from the statue. "Makes you think," she began quietly, "How many of the ninja legends are true, hunh?"

Marah frowned, "What?"

"The abyss of evil turned out not to be a myth," Kapri explained. She returned her gaze to the statue at hand. "I wonder if all the stories are true."

Marah laughed, "The Dragoon Sisters are pure legend. I think we would have noticed a freakishly huge snake, bird, or lizard, while we were plotting to destroy earth, don't you?"

Kapri shrugged.

Marah grinned, "What? You're not _scared_ are you?"

"Psh!" Kapri scoffed, "Of what?"

"Heh," Marah laughed, "Heaven's Light."

"That's a myth," Kapri stated knowingly.

Marah did a double take, "Hey! You were the one who brought them up! I'd hate to be you when Lady Dragon comes-a-knockin; wielding the power of Heaven's Light, and all."

"We're _good_ now," Kapri reminded, "The Dragoon Sisters only visit the blackest of hearts."

Kapri paused as realization hit her. "Hey!" she protested, after a beat. She smacked Marah in the arm, "Why Lady Dragon?"

Marah laughed, "Legend says she eliminates the _corrupted_; and if the glove fits…"

Kapri gasped in offence.

Marah took off in a full sprint across the grounds.

"You come back here, Marah!" Kapri screamed. "How dare you call me _damaged_!"

Marah hooted in response, and kept on running. Kapri chased after her.

Sensei watched them observantly from off in the distance.

**...**

Shane, Dustin, and Tori blinked with surprise; happily.

"What happened," Tori asked in awe.

"Lothor's evil," Blake theorized, "it must have overloaded the abyss."

"Causing it to implode on itself," Cam finished, knowingly.

"So he's _gone_?" Dustin asked, as he motioned to the clearing. "_Really_ gone?"

"I believe so," Cam answered.

"And our Ranger powers?" Hunter asked expectantly.

"They're gone too," Shane replied grimly. He frowned as he eyed his useless morpher.

**...**

"Let the games begin!"

Kelly cheered as she watched Dustin soar through the air.

Dustin laughed as his bike collided back on to the ground effortlessly, "yyyeeeaaa!"

**...**

"Go Shane!" Tori cheered, as he did a complete 360. He soon came to a smooth halt.

**...**

"Check it!" Hunter greeted, as he motioned to Dustin.

Dustin was all grins as they approached Tori and Kelly.

"Dustin," Tori beamed, "Third place! That's awesome!"

"Yeah," Blake agreed, as he patted Dustin on the shoulders, "my boy came through."

"I'm so glad you changed to freestyle," Kelly motivated, "You've got a real career ahead of you."

"You guys!" Shane announced, as he ran towards them. "You won't believe this?"

Everyone turned to look at him.

"You know the guys from TruthTrucks?" Shane gushed. "They wanna sponsor me."

"What!"

"Ohhhh ho!"

"That's great?"

"What did you tell them?" Kelly asked earnestly.

Shane shrugged, while everyone looked at him earnestly.

**...**

"So?" Cam grilled; his tone caused his father to spin around in alarm.

"How come you never told me that mom had a sister?" Cam asked.

Sensei sighed. "It's a very long and _complicated_ story. One I thought that you would never understand."

"And now?" Cam asked.

Sensei smiled, "You've learned the responsibility of what it truly means to be a ranger. You've mastered the power of the Samurai amulet. But…"

Cam frowned.

"Some things are better left unsaid," Sensei warned, "There are some things in our _past's_ that need to stay buried."

"But dad…" Cam objected.

"I will tell you the _entire_ story one day," Sensei assured, "but now is not the right _time_."

Cam sighed, "Fine," he conceded.

**...**

"Shane Clarke," Sensei called.

Shane strode to the podium and bowed respectfully towards Sensei. Sensei smiled and handed him his diploma.

"Tori Hanson," Sensei continued.

Tori approached the podium and bowed respectfully, just as Shane had done earlier, towards Sensei. Sensei smiled and handed her, her diploma.

"Dustin Brooks," Sensei grinned.

Dustin approached him; still disbelief about his graduation. He approached the podium and bowed respectfully, just as Shane and Tori had done. Sensei smiled and handed him, his diploma.

"Blake Bradley," Sensei beckoned; just as Dustin walked away.

Blake smiled and approached the podium. He bowed respectfully, and accepted his diploma bashfully.

Sensei Omino nodded proudly across the stage as the Thunder Rangers accepted their diplomas.

"Hunter Bradley," Sensei grinned.

Hunter strode to the podium and bowed respectfully towards Sensei. Sensei grinned and handed him, his diploma.

"And finally," Sensei stated proudly, "Cam Watanabe."

Cam approached him and bowed respectfully. Sensei handed him his diploma courteously.

Cam headed off towards the far end of the stage, over to where his friends stood.

"You have all earned the badge of honor," Sensei congratulated, "That is to graduate from the Wind Ninja Academy. I could not be more proud of you. Of the sacrifices you have made for your school and indeed for your planet. The world is a better place today, because of you."

The gang cheered in celebration.

**...**

"So," Tori asked hesitantly, "When do you leave." She secretly prayed to a higher being that Blake wouldn't be able to detect the sadness hidden behind her words.

"I start testing next week," Blake replied, "The first race is in a month."

"You must be really psyched," Tori enthused; with as much fake enthusiasm that she could muster. She was happy for Blake, she really was. But she couldn't deny that she was going to miss him. Not seeing him everyday was going to be hard.

"Yeah it's great," Blake agreed.

Tori's face fell slightly.

"So uh…" Blake offered, "You think you might wanna come out and watch me some time."

Her face brightened, "Yeah," she replied happily, "I'm all over it."

"I can't believe this!" Hunter gushed as he came up from behind them, "Sensei Omino just asked me to be the _head teacher_ at the Thunder Ninja Academy!"

"That's great!" Tori congratulated.

"Right on, man!" Blake props'd.

"Hey!" Shane greeted as he and Dustin joined them. "You guys ready to do this?"

The group nodded; each of them taking confident strides into the Wind Ninja Academy.

**...**

"Keep moving," Cam ordered. "New students, check in over there."

Marah and Kapri smiled at him bashfully as they entered through the archway.

Cam grinned, "You're kidding?"

He took in their suits, as the girls idled at the entrance. He sure hoped his dad knew what he was doing.

Hunter had blown a gasket earlier when the Senseis's had informed him of Marah and Kapri's impending teacher duties. The former Crimson Ranger was appalled that the girls were destined to roam the grounds of the Thunder Academy.

"Hello…" Kapri reminded, "family, right?"

"Hey Cam," Marah fretted, "We really need to talk about these outfits, because mine makes my _butt_ look really _big_."

Kapri chuckled, "Well not as _big _as your _head_."

"I do _not_ have a big head," Marah whined.

"Oh, you _so_ have a big head," Kapri insisted; as she walked away.

"Ugh! I do not!"

"It's huge!"

Cam sighed as he watched them leave.

Sensei approached him easily.

"It is a shame one cannot chose ones family," Sensei enlightened; mostly speaking from experience.

Cam shook his head, "I'm just glad that I don't have to feed mine guinea pig food anymore."

Sensei grinned.

"Hey!" a voice yelled. "Hold up!"

Cam spun around only to find the three misguided teens who had tried to 'help' he and Hunter in the clearing.

"You three?" Cam greeted; skyward.

"Ninja's dude," the taller boy greeted.

"No one says _dude_ anymore," their female friend lectured.

"Yes they do," he insisted.

"No they don't," she persisted.

Cam frowned. "Dad I don't think I have it in me to go through all this again."

"Then perhaps we should leave their training to the three new teachers," Sensei grinned.

Cam followed his gaze, only to find Shane, Dustin, and Tori adorned in teaching robes.

A smile slowly spread across Cam's face.

"A happy ending is nothing more than a new _beginning_," Sensei enlightened, "Besides, one should never break up a winning team."

Shane, Dustin, and Tori bowed in agreement.

"Yeah!" Blake agreed, as he and Hunter joined them.

**...**

_What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from..._

**...**

…

_**November 22, 2003:**_

…

Marah glanced at her watch and then shot a quick peek out from behind the tree she was hiding behind.

She had studied Dustin carefully for the past few days after joining the academy.

Kapri had chided her for being creepy, and had deemed her a stalker. But Marah didn't understand how following him could be considered as something that was _wrong_. She wasn't going to _hurt_ Dustin. In fact she planned to do just the opposite. She planned to shower him with all the _love_ she had to give.

All she needed was for him to at least _acknowledge_ her first.

She had known that he wasn't going to make this easy on her. She had prepared herself for that. After all, her current predicament was her own fault. If only she hadn't played him. But she hadn't anticipated the _feelings_. She was only supposed to con him into a fake friendship. However, the moment she locked eyes with his warm brown ones – she had found herself falling hopelessly in love. It had taken her a few weeks after her betrayal to figure that out. She had never been in love before, and the hurt she felt in her heart was something that was both painful and strange.

Dustin had managed to do something that no man before him had ever been able to do. He saw Marah for who she really was. She herself hadn't even known who she was, but Dustin did.

He understood her.

He liked her for her. He liked her for just being Marah.

Everyone else acted as though she was a pain, but Dustin had looked at her as if she were the most amazing thing he had ever seen.

He had trusted her. He had trusted her with all of his heart, and in a moment she had destroyed him. She had destroyed him and the trust that he had in her as well.

Why had she been so stupid?

Marah took a deep breath and stole another peek from behind her tree. As expected she finally saw Dustin making his final lap across the grounds of the academy.

It was like clockwork every morning.

There he was.

Running.

Marah pulled out the water bottle, which she had brought with her. She opened the lid, took a few sips, and then splashed the remainder of it on her face.

She then took a deep breath, and sprinted out from behind her tree.

She came to a slow stop just a few feet in front of Dustin.

Dustin's pace slowed, and he came to an abrupt stop in front of her.

"Hey Dustin," Marah greeted warmly.

"Hi," Dustin responded in a tone she couldn't quite place. He didn't seem disappointed to see her, but he didn't seem thrilled either.

"How's it going," Marah asked; trying to make small talk.

Dustin shrugged, "Uh, okay I guess."

"Cool," Marah gushed with way more enthusiasm than she should have used.

Dustin nodded and pointed in front of him, "Um, I better continue on with my jog," he excused.

Marah's face betrayed her and fell slightly. "Oh," she stated in a small voice.

"I'll see you around," Dustin bided, just as he sprinted away from her.

Marah watched him go sadly, "see ya."

…

Shane frowned. He was seated by himself at an empty table inside of Storm Chargers, and was currently eying his morpher.

His _useless_ morpher, he corrected himself mentally.

He didn't know why he felt this way.

Why was _he_ the only one that felt this way?

Everyone had lost their ranger powers, and everyone seemed fine. It wasn't like they still didn't have power. He himself had told his friends that just because they no longer had rangers powers didn't mean they didn't have power.

Because they did.

They had power. They had their _ninja_ powers.

But that knowledge didn't seem to ease the pain he felt in his chest.

He felt like someone had died. Like his heart had been cut in half. He felt like something was missing.

Like half of him was missing.

He felt incomplete, as though he was no longer whole.

How could losing his ranger powers affect him so? _Why_ was it affecting him so?

Every day since the battle with Lothor he felt as if he were trapped in a horrible nightmare. It was like waking up but without opening his eyes.

And that feeling made him sick. He had no reason to feel that way. Everything was normal now. Everything was peaceful. He should be happy, but why wasn't he happy?

"What's with you?"

Shane snapped out of his thoughts, and was met by Hunter's concerned gaze. "You okay, man?" Hunter continued. He slid into the seat opposite of Shane.

"What do you mean?" Shane asked confused.

"You look like Tor?" Hunter remarked.

Shane furrowed his eyebrows, "Come again?"

"You look like Tori," Hunter repeated. "I just came from seeing her and she looks like someone murdered her kitten."

"Tori doesn't have a kitten," Shane corrected.

"It's an analogy," Hunter groused; after a beat he added, "she's missing Blake."

Shane played with his morpher absentmindedly, "how is Blake?"

"He called me a few days ago," Hunter explained, while eying Shane worriedly, "it seems like he's settling in nicely."

"How's his testing going?" Shane asked not looking away from his morpher.

"He's finished," Hunter replied. He furrowed his eyebrows as he eyed Shane. "The testing went well."

Shane nodded easily, and traced the morpher with the tip of his index finger lightly.

"Are you okay?" Hunter grimaced. "You've been acting strange lately."

"I haven't been feeling well," Shane lied. Well it wasn't a complete lie. He didn't feel okay. What he felt right now was definitely not something that could be classified as _okay._

"The flu?" Hunter speculated; though he looked unconvinced.

"Sure," Shane coincided, "you could say that."

…

Kapri glanced at her watch and muttered an obscenity under her breath silently. She had been standing in front of Storm Changers for the past forty-five minutes, and there was still no sign of Marah.

Marah couldn't be in any sort of danger, or she would have known. It was like a weird bond that they shared. Whenever Marah got hurt, Kapri felt a strange sense of nausea rush over her. The same was to be said for Marah.

Kapri frowned as she caught sight of Dustin about to enter Storm Chargers. He seemed to sense her staring and turned to meet her gaze. He looked a bit frazzled to see her standing there, but he managed a polite wave regardless. Kapri mirrored the action and watched him disappear into the store.

Now she was starting to get really worried.

Where was she? Marah should have at least shown up by now. She was always shadowing Dustin as of late like an eerie creeper.

Her cell phone rang suddenly. The phone was a gift from Sensei. Kapri glowered at the caller i.d. "Where the hell are you? I've been waiting here for ages."

Marah began to blubber from the other line, "Sooorrrryyyy," she bawled.

Kapri's face twitched anxiously, "What's wrong?"

"I finally managed to talk to Dustin," Marah bawled, "and he acted like he couldn't wait to get away from me."

Kapri rolled her eyes.

"Dustin hates me," Marah whimpered.

"Ch-yeah," Kapri stated matter-of-factly.

"You're so mean," Marah snivelled.

"I'm just stating the obvious," Kapri muttered, "I told you this would happen. What did you expect? That he would fall to his knees and profess undying love? Did you actually think he would welcome you with open arms – just because you're _good_ now?"

"Yes," Marah insisted though a strangled sob.

"Are you coming here or not?" Kapri vexed.

"Not," Marah howled. She then hung up before Kapri could get another word in.

"Perfect," Kapri mumbled under her breath. She spun on her heels to leave, but found herself colliding with a person - carrying a ridiculously large box.

Kapri fell to the floor, as did her collider and all of her items.

"I'm so sorry," the redhead apologized.

"No it's my fault," Kapri dismissed, as she got to her feet. "I should have watched where I was going," she added as she offered her hand to help the redhead up.

"I'm Kelly," the girl introduced herself, once she was on her feet. She extended her hand.

Kapri took it and shook it, "I'm Kapri," Kapri replied.

"You new in town?" Kelly asked as she picked up the box she was carrying earlier. "I haven't seen you around here before?"

"You could say that," Kapri stated wryly. "My sister and I are staying with my cousin and his father."

"Hmm," Kelly noted, "Well now you know one more person," Kelly stated with a laugh, as she motioned to herself. "I own Storm Chargers actually."

"Oh," Kapri responded with surprise, "cool."

"Heh. Yeah," Kelly smiled. "So. Ah. Are you into extreme sports?"

"Um, no. I was actually just waiting for my sister to meet me, but she sort of flaked on me."

"Oh," Kelly sympathized. "That sucks."

"Yeah," Kapri agreed breezily, "well that's Marah for you."

"I see," Kelly noted. "Well I wouldn't know. I'm an only child."

"Hmm, lucky you," Kapri replied sarcastically.

"That bad?"

"No," Kapri answered truthfully. "Marah's pretty cool actually. She just annoys me sometimes, that's all."

"Well, um, I should get going," Kelly stated, after a beat, she pointed to her store.

"Right," Kapri acknowledged.

"Nice…bumping into you," Kelly laughed.

Kapri smiled, "Yeah," she stated with a wave. "It was nice meeting you."

…

* * *_** PLEASE REVIEW **_* * *

_Anonymous Reviews Are Accepted As Well._

**A/N:** I thought that it would be best to play catch up, before progressing onto my story. I felt that it was best to refresh your memory in order for me to continue. Therefore, as you've probably already realized – most of the dialogue used in the November 10-15 section is taken from the PRNS season finale. Consequently, it does not belong to me.

I did, however, add my own personal touch to the Storm Before The Calm episode, which is illustrated through Cam's discussion with Kapri and Marah, as well as the reasons for Kapri and Marah's ninja outfits at the end of the November 10-15 section.

The Dragoon Sisters (as mentioned in this chapter) will be part of a mystery that I shall be weaving in the upcoming chapters.


	3. December 2003

**A/N: **Thanks a million to those of you who reviewed.

**Disclaimer: **I am definitely not Douglas Sloan, Ann Austen, Koichi Sakamoto or Janine Dickins. This series belongs to BVS Entertainment, ABC (ABC Kids), and ABC Family (Jetix).

I own nothing – expect the plot that I'm orchestrating.

Enjoy.

…

_**December 7, 2003:**_

…

"What difference does it make?" Kapri stated incredulously.

"It makes all the difference," Hunter shotback. "You lift with your left leg and punch with your right."

"Why can't I lift with my right and punch with my left?" she asked skyward.

"Because you can't," Hunter droned.

"Tally lifted with her right and punched with her left," Kapri snitched, in order to make a point.

Tally's jaw dropped and her eyes widened, "thanks a lot Kap!"

Kapri eyed Hunter knowingly; daring him to punish Tally. Hunter however did no such thing; an action in which only served to fuel her suspicions.

"Don't talk back to me Kapri!" Hunter commanded, "And I'm your Sensei. You must refer to me as such."

Kapri rolled her eyes, "whatever."

Hunter's jaw clenched, "Laps!"

Kapri frowned, "What?"

"Laps," Hunter repeated, "Now!"

Kapri sulked, but obeyed nonetheless.

…

"Do you think that you are ready to join your sister at the Thunder Academy as of yet?" Sensei asked Marah as she joined him for his usual afternoon tea.

"Um…" Marah began unsure of how to answer. Sure she was ready. She had been ready for about a week now. She could have left when Kapri had made the transition, but she didn't want to leave Dustin.

She wanted to make sure that things between her and Dustin were on good terms before she left. If she didn't, then there really wasn't any excuse that she could use in order to speak to him.

Sensei seemed to sense her hesitation, "No pressure," he consoled.

Marah let out a deep breath, one she didn't know she had been holding in.

…

Tori sighed wistfully. She ran a hand longingly over the Elm tree on the grounds of the Thunder Academy. It had only been a few weeks ago, when she had been here with Blake.

She found herself visiting the Thunder Academy more often than what was expected. She wasn't sure why, but for some strange reason she always felt closer to Blake when she did.

Tori took a seat against the Elm tree and leaned against it. She rested her head against the trunk of the Elm, hoping that it could fill her nostrils with the familiar smell of 'the _someone'_ who continuously haunted her thoughts.

"What are you doing here?"

Tori turned and found that the source that had interrupted her thoughts was Kapri.

"Oh? Hey Kapri," Tori greeted. She should have added a little bit more enthusiasm to her tone, but she just didn't feel up to it.

Kapri frowned and then cringed when she realized that that was what she had been doing all day.

Frowning.

"Are you okay?" Tori asked.

"Funny, I was about to ask you the same thing," Kapri replied with a grin. She quickly shot a glance over her back, silently praying that Hunter hadn't decided to follow her.

It wasn't that she was afraid of Hunter, but more that she was afraid of what he might do. As much as she did hate to admit it – Hunter was her superior. She couldn't handle anymore humiliation. He seemed angry at her all the time. Was she honestly the only one who noticed? Surely the other students realized that he always seemed to be deliberately picking on her. What would he do if he saw her here talking to Tori; disobeying him again? He'd probably crack a whip on her back and laugh manically while everyone watched - forcing her to run until her lungs burned like hellfire.

Kapri decided to take her chances; deciding that she'd have to voice her issues about Hunter to Sensei as soon as she got back home.

Tori managed a small smile, "I'm alright." She watched as Kapri took a seat next to her near the elm tree. It was weird how different Kapri and Marah were now, since they surrendered themselves over to Cam. They still tended to act like their girly-annoying selves, but the way they carried themselves now was different.

Cam also seemed to find them endearing, something Tori suspected was due to the fact that he had finally found something that helped to tie him closer to his mother. As a result, everyone was basically forced to tolerate the bickering sisters for Cam's sake.

But the more Tori thought about it, she wasn't really _tolerating_ them. In a weird way she had actually found herself growing quite _fond_ of them. Tori had never really had girlfriends that she could talk too. Sure the guys were great and all, but there was only so much stuff that you could discuss with boys.

Therefore, she found Kapri's interest in her life refreshing.

"Liar," Kapri informed. "You are so obviously not fine. You're anything but."

Tori arched an eyebrow at her.

"You've got boy troubles," Kapri stated matter-of-factly, "amirite?"

Tori didn't know why she decided to answer her truthfully, but she did. "Yeah," she stated smally, "I'm missing Blake."

"Blake? As in the Navy Thunder Ranger? …" Kapri eyed her with wide green eyes. "You and the Blue Thunder Ranger?" Kapri squealed, "seriously?"

Tori turned a bright shade of pink, "we're not a _couple_," she stated defensively. "He's my _friend_. And I just miss him, that's all."

"Awe," Kapri gushed, obviously ignoring everything she had just said. "How cute." She then stiffened, "Wait? Isn't he _Hunter's_ brother?"

Tori, who was still an unnatural shade of pink, nodded.

Kapri scowled, looking as though she had just drank lemon juice, "He's not a little _skeeze_ like Hunter is he?"

"What?" Tori asked in astonishment. She couldn't imagine Hunter acting like a … _skeeze_, and she never thought that anyone would ever have the courage to call the former Crimson Ranger that. "Why on earth would you call Hunter that?"

"Because he's out to get me," Kapri explained. "He's always picking on me. I mean at first I was like '_maybe he has a crush on me?_' Because isn't that what human boys do? They pick on you. They pull your pigtails and throw rocks at you. But then again, Hunter's not an eight year old boy. So I mean what _is_ his freaking deal?"

Tori eyes widened and to her surprise she did something that she hadn't done in weeks.

She laughed.

…

"Hey Hunter," Cam greeted as he found Hunter stacking a pile of long ninja staff's against a wall. "What's up?"

"Your cousin was giving me lip again today in class?" Hunter complained.

Cam sighed, "Kapri?" he asked knowingly. "Just give her some time," he suggested after a beat. "She'll be less hostile, I promise."

"I don't think what she needs is _time_," Hunter replied wryly. After a beat he added, "why not just let Marah and Kapri pursue something un-related to the ninja academies?"

Cam scowled slightly, "and make them do what?"

"Oh I don't know," Hunter stated offhandedly, "I'm sure people would pay big money to see an alien up close. They could join a circus sideshow and become the top freaks."

"Hunter!" Cam grimaced. "Look I don't expect you to be friends with them, but they are my cousins."

"Cousins that you didn't even know you had until a few weeks ago," Hunter shotback.

"It doesn't matter," Cam reasoned, "they are my family nonetheless."

"Whatever," Hunter mumbled under his breath.

Cam frowned.

…

"Great you're laughing at me," Kapri muttered. "Well that's the last time I try to help you out."

Tori grabbed her shoulder, pulling Kapri back down onto the grass. "I'm sorry. It's just I'm not used to talking to people who are so … animated. I mean Dustin acts like he's eternally hyper, but he's a guy, and I haven't exactly met much girls who just lay it out like that."

"Hmm," Kapri leered, "Have you met Marah?"

"You gotta point," Tori conceded. "So how is Marah?"

"You mean it isn't obvious?" Kapri smirked, "or did she finally decide to stop stalking Dustin."

"She's stalking Dustin?" Tori cringed, "Oh Marah…" she stated considerately.

The girls sat in silence for a while, until Kapri finally opened her mouth and shattered it. "Do you wanna do something later? Like hang out?"

Tori looked at her a bit taken a back. "Um, sure," she stated uncertainly. "What did you have in mind?"

"Shopping?" Kapri suggested.

Tori cringed.

"And then maybe getting a bite to eat later," Kapri finished.

Tori cowered for an idle minute. She hated to shop, and Kapri seemed like the type of girl who would probably try everything on before leaving the vicinity. But then again, she was in a desperate need of a distraction. She needed something, _anything_, to get her mind off of Blake.

"Sure," Tori agreed. "Meet you in front of Storm Chargers in an hour?"

…

"Hey Marah?"

Marah nearly jumped out of her skin. She turned around and found Shane grinning slightly.

"Sorry," Shane apologized, "I didn't mean to scare you."

"Oh it's alright Shane," Marah dismissed. She then furrowed her eyebrows, as she corrected herself. "I mean Sensei… Sensei Shane?"

Shane smiled lightly, "It's alright Marah. You can call me Shane outside of the academy."

Marah breathed loudly, "okay," she beamed. Why couldn't Dustin talk to her as easily as Shane did? Come to think of it, other than Cam, Shane was probably the friendliest towards her and Kapri since they arrived.

"So are you here to meet Cam?" Shane asked.

"Uh, no," Marah began, "I'm actually here to meet Tori and Kapri."

"_Tori_?" Shane questioned, bewildered.

"Yeah, um, we're actually gonna go do some shopping?" Marah informed.

Shane arched an eyebrow in surprise, but then regained his composure as he caught sight of Tori making her way through the front doors of Storm Chargers.

"Speaking of…" Shane trailed off, causing Marah to turn around and follow his gaze. She waved over at Tori.

Tori caught sight of her and headed towards her and Shane.

"Hi Tori," Marah greeted.

Shane arched an eyebrow again, and stared at Tori questioningly. "_Shopping_?" he asked bemused.

Tori drew her lips together in a grim line and merely shrugged.

"It's going to be so much fun," Marah promised.

"So where _is_ Kapri?" Tori asked.

"She should be here soon," Marah informed, while glancing at her watch.

…

Kapri yanked open the front door of Storm Chargers, only to hear a voice yell 'hold the door' from behind her.

She obeyed, and found herself coming face to face with Kelly.

Kapri smirked, "and we meet again."

Kelly laughed, as she struggled to hold on to the box she was holding, "Yeah. Though we really should stop meeting like this."

Kapri chuckled lightly, and helped her inside.

"I thought you said you weren't into extreme sports," Kelly reminded.

"I'm still not," Kapri smiled, "I'm actually meeting a … friend," she stated carefully; if that was even the right definition for what Tori was, "and my sister."

"I hope she doesn't stand you up again," Kelly replied.

"She didn't," Kapri said, "She's here." Kapri waved over at Tori and Marah, both of whom seemed currently engrossed in conversation.

Once both girls caught sight of her they quickly made their way over to where she stood.

"Um, Kelly, this is my sister Marah," Kapri introduced, "and this is-"

"Tori," Kelly finished.

Tori smiled brightly at Kelly.

"You two know each other?" Kapri asked.

"We're actually friends," Tori answered.

"Oh?" Kapri said.

"Nice to meet you," Marah greeted.

"Nice to meet you too," Kelly concurred.

"We're going to the mall," Kapri explained. "Did you want to come with?"

Kelly blinked in surprise. "Um…" she stalled, as she thought of a way for someone to supervise the store. She opened her mouth to respond again, but was silenced by Dustin and Hunter's presence.

"KAPRI!" Hunter's voice boomed causing all the girls to look his way.

"Oh no," Kapri muttered under her breath.

"Where did you go?" Hunter fretted. "I thought I told you to run laps, but you just disappeared into thin air?"

Tori fought a smile. "Did you not tell him you were leaving?" she whispered to Kapri.

"Why on earth would she have to run laps for you?" Kelly asked incredulously.

"Uh…" Hunter straightened at the sight of her, obviously caught off guard. He shot a look at Dustin for help, but Dustin seemed currently occupied with staring at the floor.

"Well?" Kelly asked again.

Hunter remained speechless. Kapri managed a smug smirk from over Kelly's shoulder. She could see him clench his fists together at the sight of her evident amusement.

Kelly sighed, "You know what? ... Whatever." She shot an authoritative look at Dustin, "You two get to work," she ordered. "Chop. Chop."

Hunter grimaced, while Dustin obeyed.

"I'm going to need you guys to lock up," Kelly continued.

"Sure thing Kel," Dustin acknowledged. He shot Kelly a warm smile, but then sobered when he caught sight of Marah.

He then disappeared into the backroom, causing Marah to frown as she watched him go.

…

…

_**December 12, 2003:**_

…

"It's a nice day isn't it?"

Dustin who had initially thought he was alone in the woods, spun around on guard, but soon relaxed after he realized that it was Marah who had spoken.

"Yeah," he stated in that same tone that she could never quite place, "it's nice."

What is going on in that head of yours? Marah asked herself mentally. It was a question she found herself asking herself every time she was around Dustin.

"Um, everyone is planning on meeting up at Storm Chargers later," Marah informed, finally remembering why she had set out to look for Dustin; at least this time she had an excuse.

"Okay," Dustin stated simply.

"Okay," Marah repeated as brightly as she could. For some reason the exchange still sounded awkward. "I'll see you later," she added.

Dustin nodded, watching as Marah turned and scurried away.

…

"I've spoken to him about his behaviour," Cam promised.

Kapri sighed and rolled her eyes. Like that was going to make much of a difference, she thought. Hunter's still going to find a way to snipe at me regardless of what Cam says.

"Hunter takes longer than the rest of us to warm up to people, kay?" Cam reasoned. "He'll be an absolute saint tonight."

"I sure hope so," Kapri prayed.

…

"The grand opening will be on New Year's Eve," Kelly gushed to the surrounding group.

"So this place?" Shane asked as he poked his noodles with his chopsticks, "It's like a hangout?"

Kelly grinned, "It's not _like_ a hangout. It is a hangout."

"That's totally awesome dude," Dustin agreed. "It's so boring around here. It's about time we had a cool place to hang."

"I agree," Tori concurred.

Kapri handed Marah a carton of spring rolls, "So New Year's, hunh? Is this place going to be exclusive? Or can anyone come?"

"As long as you're the legal drinking age there shouldn't be a problem," Kelly chirped.

"What's this place going to be called?" Marah asked, right before taking a bite into her spring roll.

"Kelly's" Kelly stated obviously.

"Aptly so," Cam commented.

Kelly shot him a wink, an action which caused Cam to turn a light shade of pink.

Marah, having been the only one who caught sight of the exchange, choked on her spring roll.

"Are you okay?" Tori asked; patting Marah's back lightly with concern.

Dustin pushed a pitcher of water towards Tori. She quickly poured Marah a glass, "Here drink this."

Marah took it gratefully, "thanks."

"So," Shane said, after he was sure Marah was okay, "What's this I hear about Secret Santa's?"

"It was Kelly's idea," Tori proclaimed.

"Oh come on guys," Kelly implored. "It'll be so much fun."

"Yeah," Marah agreed. "We'll just put everyone's name in hat and surprise each other on Christmas Day."

"So wait," Hunter rationalized, "does this mean we each only get _one _present."

"Dude, I think someone needs to be reminded about the spirit of Christmas," Dustin joked.

"Shut up," Hunter mocked. "You know what I mean."

"Please guys," Kelly begged; trying her best to work the puppy dog eyes, "It'll be so much fun."

"I'm in," Cam agreed, a little too quickly than he should have.

Marah smirked, "yeah you are," she mumbled under her breath.

Shane arched an eyebrow, "What was that Marah?"

Marah paled, "Uh, nothing," she dismissed quickly. "Um… I was just saying that I'm game."

"Count me in," Tori agreed.

"Me too," Kapri concurred.

"Me three," Shane grinned.

"I'm totally game," Dustin proclaimed.

"Oh what the hell," Hunter conceded.

"Great!" Kelly exclaimed as she clasped her hands together. "This is going to be so much fun."

…

Cam pursed his lips as he plopped down on to a chair within the resident quarters of the Wind Ninja Academy.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Sensei asked as he took a seat opposite of Cam.

"Oh hey dad," Cam greeted.

"Is something the matter son?" Sensei asked; his features were filled with worry.

"No," Cam revealed. "There's nothing wrong. I'm just thinking of what to get Tori for Christmas. I got her as a Secret Santa, that's all."

…

"I'll do your laundry for a month," Marah offered.

Kapri rolled her eyes, and shot her sister an exasperated look.

"Please Kapri!" Marah begged. "Puuhhhhh-llllleeeeaaasseeeeeee!"

"Oh alright," Kapri conceded, as she handed Marah Dustin's name. "Just don't come crying to me when this backfires in your face."

"Oh! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Marah cooed; as she grabbed Kapri in a bear hug and jumped up and down with her.

"Marah!" Kapri whined as she wriggled out of Marah's grasp.

Marah beamed and handed her Shane's name.

"Shane?" Kapri stated skyward. "Perfect," she muttered, "I barely know the guy. How am I going to figure out what to get him?"

…

"So," Dustin asked looking at Hunter, whom of which seemed to be staring a whole into his Secret Santa slip, "who'd you get?"

Hunter frowned, "trade with me?"

"Na-ah," Kelly ordered, "No trades-ies!"

"Oh come on Kel!" Hunter reasoned, "No has to know."

"I'll know," Kelly lectured. She shot a look at Dustin, "I'll know," she warned, emotively. She then spun on her heels and walked away, smirking as she did, for she knew Dustin had the moral conscience of a nun.

"Trade with me," Hunter begged again, once Kelly was out of earshot.

"But dude," Dustin stated anxiously, "she'll _know_."

Hunter rolled his eyes, "Dus-tin," he reasoned.

"Nope," Dustin stated stubbornly, "who do you have anyways?"

Hunter sulked, "Kapri."

"What's so bad about getting Kapri," Dustin asked confused.

"Everything," Hunter droned. "Who do you have?"

"Kelly," Dustin informed.

…

"Thanks for waiting for me," Kelly stated appreciatively, as she fell into step with Tori.

"No prob," Tori said, with a bright smile. "So tonight was fun"

"Yeah it was wasn't it," Kelly agreed. "It's funny how we all never just, you know, got together and hung out before."

"Yeah it is," Tori stated, as she realized in astonishment that that was in fact true.

"So?" Kelly asked curiously, "who did you get?"

"I thought we weren't supposed to discuss that?" Tori reminded with a smile.

"Yeah, because everyone is definitely going to keep it a secret until Christmas Day," Kelly replied sarcastically. "Hunter's trying to convince Dustin to trade with him as we speak, and Marah – she's probably on a wild goose chase trying to figure out who has Dustin so that she can trade."

Tori laughed. "I have Hunter," she admitted, "and you?"

"I've got Cam," Kelly revealed, "and I'm going to need your help, because I hardly know him, and I haven't the craziest idea of what to get him."

…

¸.·´¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)  
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´ ¸¸.·¨¯`·.

_Help me…_

_Please, help me…_

_Shane…_

_Shane!..._

_I need your help!_

¸.·´¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)  
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´ ¸¸.·¨¯`·.

"Noooo!" Shane awoke covered in cold sweat. He ran a hand over his face and took deep breaths in an attempt to calm his frantic heart.

"It was just a dream," he assured himself. "Skyla is dead. She's in a better place now. She's at peace. She's dead."

His heartbeat still remained erratic.

"She's dead," he repeated again, as he took a calming breath.

"She's dead."

…

…

_**December 21, 2003:**_

…

"I want a comet rock star helmet, a pair of catalyst gloves, an A-6 chest protector, a bionic neck brace and a B-2 carbon knee pad," Dustin lectured, as he counted the items off, while checking off the tips of his fingers as he spoke. When he finished he batted his full-length eyelashes at Tori suggestively.

Tori laughed, "Dustin for the hundredth time – I am _not_ your secret Santa."

"Then just pass along my list of demands to the dude or dudette who is my secret Santa," he replied.

"Shouldn't it be the thought that counts," Tori pointed out lightly.

"Exactly! And my secret Santa should know that it's my _thoughts_ that matter when getting me a gift," Dustin explained. "So, shouldn't they be _thoughtful_ towards my wants and … the things I don't want."

"Dustin," Tori reasoned. "What if your Santa simply gave you a hug for Christmas?"

"As long as that hug is accompanied by my helmet, my gloves, my chest protector, my bionic neck brace and my knee pads," Dustin explained, stubbornly, "we're good."

…

"He's your cousin," Kelly vented to Marah and Kapri in sheer panic, "What do I get him?"

"Cam's quiet," Marah reflected thoughtfully, "he's also quite sweet. I think whatever you get him he'll love."

Kelly exhaled loudly, and turned to look at Kapri, "help," she begged.

Kapri shrugged, "I don't know … a book maybe? He's also into computers and tech stuff."

Marah licked her snow cone, as she thought tentatively.

"I've got four days to find him something, and I'm so swamped with the preparations for Kelly's grand opening," Kelly droned.

Kapri simply shrugged, unable to think of anything.

Kelly quickly turned on Marah again, the pressure of being put on the spot caused Marah to get flustered, "Oh I don't know," she rambled, "why not get him a sword or a staff."

Kelly narrowed her eyes at her confused, "hunh?"

Kapri shot Marah daggers out of the corner of her eye. She fake-laughed loudly, the sound was way too high and obviously phony.

Kelly frowned.

"Oh Marah," Kapri dismissed, "you're too funny. Why on earth would Cam need a sword? Halloween's over silly."

Marah laughed, the sound was strained.

Kelly grimaced, baffled. What the hell was that about?

…

"You look horrible," Hunter commented, as he took a seat next to Shane.

"Nice to see you too," Shane muttered.

"Ouch," Hunter mocked.

"Sorry," Shane apologized. "I just haven't been sleeping well lately."

"Why?" Hunter asked; the playful tone disappearing from his voice, soon replaced with one filled with concern.

"I've just been having these strange dreams recently," Shane explained.

"What about?" Hunter asked.

"Nothing," Shane dismissed. "Really it's nothing."

"Yeah, well you shouldn't just ignore them," Hunter replied, "the dreams, I mean," he clarified, "remember what Sensei said? Your dreams tell you a lot about yourself."

"Hmm," Shane sighed. "I know." "So," he began, quickly changing the subject before Hunter pressed the issue any further, "Did you finish your Christmas shopping?"

"Yeah," Hunter replied; the look on his face seemed to have held a hidden darkness. Shane chalked it up to his imagination getting the best of him and blamed his sleepless nights.

"That's fast," Shane remarked. "Was it difficult to find a gift?"

"No," Hunter explained. "I knew exactly what to get."

"Oh yeah?" Shane asked, while rubbing his eyes.

"Yeah," Hunter stated with a smirk.

…

…

_**December 25, 2003:**_

…

Cam smiled as he ran his fingers across the cover of a first edition, rare copy, of Moby Dick. The book had been his Christmas present from Kelly – whom of which, he was pleasantly surprised to find, was his secret Santa.

Kelly had handed him the gift, while sporting a look that he could only describe as constipated. She had immediately spurted out excuses after he had opened the packaging, promising him that she would find something better. But Cam didn't want anything else.

"It's perfect," he had assured, and Kelly had looked at him with eyes filled with reprieve.

"Are you sure?" she cautioned.

"It's perfect," Cam smiled.

…

"Where did Kapri go?" Shane asked, as he joined his friends, in what had once been known as Ninja Ops. Today the secret lair was used as a lounge for the Sensei's of the academy.

"She wasn't feeling well," Marah lied, flashing Hunter (whose back was currently facing her) a dark look in the process; and added, "Tori said that she would walk her home." Hunter turned around, causing Marah to avert her eyes.

"Is Kap alright?" Cam asked; his tone filled with worry.

Marah didn't answer. Instead she looked at Dustin, "Can I talk to you in private?" she asked, while motioning towards the door, "Outside?"

Dustin nodded, and followed her out of the room.

…

Kapri cried into her pillow as Tori rubbed her back.

"It sucks. I know," Tori murmured. She was definitely going to have a serious talk with Hunter. This was low, and way beneath him.

"I can't believe he gave me a lump of _coal_," Kapri sniffled; most of what she said was muffled by her pillow.

Tori's cell rang causing her to cringe.

"Answer it," Kapri ordered, after Tori's phone rang for the third time. "I'll be alright."

"I'll be right back," Tori assured.

Kapri buried her head further into her pillow.

Tori tiptoed out of Kapri's room, and silently closed the door behind her. "Hello?" she asked, as she answered her phone.

"I hope you aren't partying too hard?" a husky voice greeted, from the other line.

Tori inhaled sharply, "Blake?"

…

"Wow," Dustin breathed.

He had followed Marah over to Cam's car, and she had surprised him with a variety of different boxes. Each of which contained exactly what he had wanted for Christmas.

"A comet rock star helmet, a pair of catalyst gloves, an A-6 chest protector, a bionic neck brace and a B-2 carbon knee pad," Dustin stated brightly. If it were anyone else, he probably would have throttled them to the ground and engulfed them in a bear hug, but this wasn't just _anyone_. This was _Marah_.

Marah's smile slowly faded, "Do you not like it?" Her voice was filled with hurt.

"Um. No," Dustin dismissed, "I love it," he stated hesitantly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Marah breathed.

Dustin stuffed his hands into his pocket as he held her gaze, awkwardly.

Marah nodded courteously, before turning and walked away.

…

"Sparklers?" Hunter mused, as he watched Kelly run around the dishevelled nightclub - which was soon to be known as Kelly's, "Really?"

"What's New Year's without sparklers?" Kelly asked, as she put both hands on either side of her waist.

"Nothing," Hunter replied. "It's just that… they're _sparklers_!"

"So?" Kelly challenged.

Hunter shrugged.

"It takes a real _man_ to handle sparklers," Shane joked. Hunter cringed as he watched Shane twirl one in his hand like a baton.

Shane waved it quickly in Hunter's direction.

Hunter dodged his attack, "Careful!" Hunter warned, "You could seriously injury someone with one of those."

Kelly laughed, "Iz wittle Hunter ahfwaid of the big bad shparklerz," she teased.

Hunter donned her a look as though she had suggested he streak naked across the grounds of the Thunder Academy. "Whatever."

Kelly grabbed a sparkler and lunged towards him.

The look on Hunter's face, made Shane think he was about to ninja streak. But Hunter obviously, knew better than that.

Shane watched as Kelly twirled a sparkler in the air. The pretty sparks caused Shane's mood to sober considerably. He couldn't help but be reminded of the bright orb of light that still haunted his dreams, and the girl that danced among it.

…

"Yeah, well Hunter did a pretty asscrack thing tonight," Tori complained.

Blake tensed, "Hunh?"

"He gave Kapri a lump of coal as a Christmas gift," Tori explained.

Blake laughed.

"It's not funny," Tori whined, "It was so mean. You should have seen her face. I feel so bad for her."

"Yeah well. You know Hunter," Blake reminded, "If he hates you - he hates you. Remember how long it took him to warm up to you guys?"

"Yeah I guess you're right," Tori sighed.

The sound of footsteps caused Tori to turn around. Marah waved as she walked into the resident quarters of the academy. Tori, who still had her phone pressed to her ear, pointed silently towards the room where Kapri lay.

Marah mouthed a 'thanks' and disappeared into the said room.

"It still doesn't excuse what he did," Tori finished.

Blake exhaled, "Yeah well, that's between Hunter and Kapri." "And anyways, I called to talk to _you_," Blake pointed out. "How are you?"

"I'm okay," Tori breathed. "You?"

"I'd be a lot better if you were around," Blake replied.

Tori's heart skipped a beat.

…

"I swear," Marah vented, "I would _so_ give him a piece of my mind…"

"Then what's holding you back killer?" Kapri asked sarcastically.

Marah tensed, "He scares me to death," she admitted. "I mean, he's so _intense_ all the time."

Kapri frowned, "Yeah, well. I for one refuse to be anyone's door mat."

Marah paled.

"Two can play that game," Kapri enlightened. "If he wants to play hardball, then I'm gonna show him how the game is _played_. I'm gonna aim for his knees."

Marah shook her head violently, "Kapri, please. Just ignore him and maybe he'll-"

"No way," Kapri interrupted, angrily. "It's war!"

…

…

_**December 31, 2003:**_

…

"Is this true?" Marah demanded as she threw a copy of Blue Bay Teen at Tori.

Tori shot her a disgruntled look, but studied the article Marah had thrown at her.

"A Kiss at Midnight?" Tori mused. "I don't understand?"

"It says," Marah explained, "that if you share a kiss with someone at the stroke of midnight on New Year's – then that person is destined to spend the year with you."

"It's just a custom, Marah," Tori reasoned.

"But people do it though, right?" Marah asked, earnestly.

Tori nodded at her, confused, "Yes. But what does-"

"Great," Marah interrupted as she clasped her hands together in celebration. "Then at the stroke of midnight, that is _exactly_ what I'll be doing."

Tori eyed her with a wrinkled brow, until realization suddenly hit her. Marah was referring to Dustin.

…

"You make it sound like we're animals in the Sahara," Cam droned.

"Well he is a _dog_," Shane piped.

Hunter shot him a mock hurt stare, "Awe! I love you too, buddy," he teased sarcastically.

Shane grunted.

"Come on," Hunter reasoned. "There is no better time to prowl for chicks."

"What makes you think that you won't strike out today like any other time of the year," Shane chided.

Hunter folded his arms across his chest, "What is it with the two of you?"

Cam looked up from his copy of Moby Dick, and arched an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" Shane asked, defensively.

"You've been acting like you're an asexual lately, and Cam just stares off into oblivion all the time," Hunter replied.

"I have _not_," Cam shotback.

"_Yeah_, you have," Hunter insisted, "and when you're not doing that, you're reading _that_ book."

Cam grimaced.

"He's right," Shane sighed. "I have been acting loopy lately."

Hunter did a 'told you so' gesture with his hands.

Cam sighed, and nodded, "Oh alright. We'll be your wingmen."

…

"I can't believe you don't own a dress," Kapri fretted, with Kelly hot on her trail.

"I own dresses," Kelly corrected, as she followed Kapri into a dress store.

"Those were granny frocks," Kapri informed. She tore into a rack of dresses and began riffling through it.

"What the hell are granny frocks?" Kelly questioned, incredulously.

"The things in your closet," Kapri whirred.

Kelly scoffed in response.

"Here," Kapri ordered; shoving six dresses at Kelly. "Try them on."

…

Tori opened the driver's door of her van and jumped out of the vehicle. "Marah," she began carefully, "maybe you should slow it down a notch on this whole 'win Dustin's heart' thing."

"Why?" Marah asked, as she slammed the passenger door shut. "Did he say something to you?"

Tori glowered slightly. "No," she admitted, but she knew Dustin, and all of this pressure from Marah was obviously going to drive him further away.

Marah arched an eyebrow and adjusted the hem of the fuchsia sassy-short-trendy-stretch, draped-sleeved, mini dress, that she was wearing. Her chestnut brown hair fell loosely past her shoulders, in long thick waves.

Tori shrugged, "Look," she cautioned. "I just would hate to see you get hurt, if things didn't go exactly the way you hoped. Boys are clueless," she explained, "I speak from experience."

Marah responded with a warm smile; she reached out and squeezed Tori's hand, "thanks for looking out for me. You really are a good friend."

Tori returned her smile, "well isn't that what friends are for?"

Marah opened her mouth to answer, but then snapped it shut. A wide grin graced her face, as she stared pass Tori and pointed.

Tori looked at her curiously, and then turned around.

A familiar pair of dark brown eyes clashed with her blue ones. As always, that sharp intake of breath engulfed her.

"Hey Tor," Blake greeted.

Tori smiled a winning smile, and without thinking, threw her arms around him, "Blake!"

…

"Hello, welcome to Kelly's," Kelly greeted, as she ushered drones of people into her nightclub.

The opening of Kelly's had been better than she had hoped, and the turnout was far grander than she had expected.

Kelly was on cloud nine.

Now, once alone for the first time in an hour – she scanned the room looking for a familiar face. She finally spotted Kapri sitting at the bar sipping a martini.

"I'm free now," Kelly gushed.

"Great turn out," Kapri praised, after taking a sip of her martini. "And these are _so_ good," she added; pointing to the drink she held in her hand.

"So where were we?" Kelly reminded, jogging Kapri's memory of the conversation that they had left unfinished an hour ago.

"The Christmas gift," Kapri reminded, just as she took another sip of her martini.

"Oh right!" Kelly explained. She quickly motioned to the bartender to serve her a drink. "I can't believe he gave you a lump of coal?" Kelly stated in shock. "I've never known Hunter to be so mean. Why on Earth would he do something like that?"

"He hates me," Kapri explicated. The bartender returned with a scotch on the rocks for Kelly. Kelly nodded courteously at him.

"But why?" Kelly asked, "I mean, you just got here. And you're a cousin to one of his friends. It just doesn't make sense."

"Yeah well, it's whatever," Kapri dismissed. "I'm not going to give him the benefit of letting him see that he's getting to me. I'm just gonna ignore him. But if he gets in my face again, I'm just going to have to mix it up."

"I don't like the sound of that," Kelly cautioned. She swirled the scotch in her glass, while the ice clinked musically against it.

…

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Tori asked; her arms were still snaked around Blake in a hug.

"I wanted to surprise you," he breathed.

Tori tensed suddenly, realizing for the first time what she was doing. Her body was still pressed firmly against Blake. She pulled away quickly, and tucked a stray strand of sunny blond hair behind her ear.

Blake drank in her appearance as she shot him a bashful look. She was dressed in a full-tilt-knit black tank dress, with crochet racerback, shoulder straps and an all-over white flower pattern.

The dress was all Marah's doing, but looking at Blake's reaction, Tori was secretly glad she caved into Marah's demands.

"Um," Tori began, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had fallen on them, "Blake, you remember Marah?"

Blake glanced behind Tori and waved at Marah, "Yeah," he answered, "nice to see you again. Hope you're staying out of trouble."

Marah laughed, "kind of hard not to with Cam breathing down your neck."

Blake laughed, "Some things never change."

"Do the guys know that you're back?" Tori asked.

Blake shook his head, "like I said. It's a surprise."

…

Cam watched Kelly tentatively, as she laughed with a customer.

He sighed wistfully. Kelly who wore an above the knee, button-front dress with little-flower prints, looked amazing. He would give anything to be able to talk to her like that. Sure they did have the occasional chats, but those tended to be short and few. He couldn't help but turn as red as a tomato, when he was around her. She probably thought he had some weird disease.

"Hey Cam," Kapri greeted, from behind. Cam jumped on his spot slightly.

"Whachaya doin?" Kapri mused, taking in his 'deer-caught-in-the-headlight' expression.

Cam tore away from Kelly begrudgingly. "Hey Kapri," Cam greeted. "You having fun?"

"Yep," Kapri stated with a grin, "I just got five numbers from five hotties."

Cam shook his head, "you are not dating any strange boys."

"Oh come on Cam," Kapri whined, "I can protect myself. You and I both know what I can _do_."

"True," Cam conceded, "but you do remember that you and Marah _can't_ use your alien powers. It was part of the agreement you made in order to enrol at the academy."

"Yeah, I know," Kapri declared, as she rolled her eyes.

…

"Oh my god," Dustin apologized as he helped the poor girl he had accidentally pummelled. "I'm so sorry dude. I didn't see you standing there."

"I am _not_ a _dude_," the blonde haired girl vented, while she struggled to get back up onto her feet.

Dustin extended a hand, and helped her up. They locked eyes - an action that made Dustin do a double-take, "do I know you?"

The girl scoffed.

"Oh? No-no-no!" Dustin placated, "I know guys tend to say that when they're creeping on girls, but I didn't mean it like that."

The blonde giggled, and tossed her hair carelessly over her shoulder. "I'm Cassidy," she greeted. "Cassidy Cornell."

Dustin smiled, "I'm Dustin. Dustin Brooks."

…

"You look nice," Shane commented, as he bumped into Kapri.

Kapri who wore a two tone bustier dress with a strapless sweetheart neckline, deep purple bodice and a light weight crepe skirt, gave him a mock injured look. "Only _nice_," she feigned with hurt.

Shane laughed, "You look _great._"

"That's better," Kapri smirked. Why couldn't Hunter be as warm and friendly as Shane, she found herself asking mentally.

"You don't look so bad yourself," Kapri stated with a grin.

Shane brushed the top of his shoulders off playfully, "I do try my best."

Kapri laughed.

…

"You and Shane are officially the worst wingmen _ever_," Hunter grunted, displeased.

Cam shot him a wary glance, "sorry."

"Yeah, well. The night wasn't a total loss," Hunter grinned, as he waved a bunch of napkins in Cam's face.

"Do all of those have numbers on them?" Cam asked incredulously.

"Uh hunh," Hunter smirked.

Cam shook his head and grinned, "Then I guess you didn't need me and Shane now did you?"

Hunter wiggled his eyebrows.

…

Marah sulked as she watched Dustin chat up a girl who Marah had decided to refer to as a blonde slut. She clenched and unclenched her fists as she watched the girl laugh loudly, and push Dustin away flirtatiously.

"Why are you hiding behind my decorative bamboo tree?" Kelly asked, as she playfully snuck up on Marah. Marah wasn't having any of it.

"What does he see in her?" Marah asked, angrily.

Kelly followed her gaze, and frowned, "beats me? I can't see her face?"

"Well neither can I," Marah admitted, "but that isn't the point." "He's been talking to her for like an hour," she huffed. "How can I make my move with that _slack jawed swamp donkey_ clinging onto him!"

"Marah!" Kelly exclaimed, with wide eyes. "Language!"

"Whatever," Marah muttered. After a beat she added, "I'm hot, right?"

"Totally," Kelly agreed. "I'd do you."

Marah arched an eyebrow, laughed, and smacked Kelly playfully in the arm, "be serious."

"You're hot," Kelly insisted. "If Dustin can't see that, well then it's his loss."

…

"So you're from Reefside?" Dustin repeated with a grin.

Cassidy nodded. "Yeah, I'm just up here visiting family for the holidays."

"Cool," Dustin said.

"Yeah, so you here with friends?" Cassidy asked.

Dustin opened his mouth to answer, but a hand clapping him hard on the back, caused him to turn around. Dustin's eyes widened and a big smile graced his face, "Blake?" he stated incredulously.

"How's it goin' man?" Blake asked; his hands were interlaced with Tori's.

…

"So it's almost midnight," Kapri enlightened.

Cam sighed, and shot another wistful look at Kelly; whom of which seemed to be lost in conversation with Marah.

Shane arched an eyebrow, "did you find anyone to kiss at midnight?"

"No one worthy," Kapri remarked.

Shane laughed. He then added a quick nod of acknowledgment towards someone behind Kapri. Within seconds Kapri realized that it was Hunter.

Hunter came to an idle stop beside her, unknowingly. Once he caught sight of her he took two steps away.

Kapri rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"It's almost midnight," Hunter informed.

"Yeah," Cam sighed, "we know."

"Find anyone to kiss on, when the clock strikes twelve?" Hunter asked.

Cam shook his head, "nope."

"Dude there are plenty of girls around you," Hunter exclaimed, "take your pick."

"I'd rather kiss someone who _matters_ to me," Cam disclosed, "instead of just laying one on a complete stranger."

Hunter grimaced and turned to Shane, "how about you?"

Shane smiled, "Me? I'm kissing Kapri."

Kapri choked on her drink. "Ha!" she scoffed.

"Ouch," Shane teased.

Hunter rolled his eyes, "I think I'm gonna be sick," he muttered under his breath.

Kapri opened her mouth to retort, but was silenced by the arrival of Blake.

…

"So you must be thrilled to have him back," Marah stated warmly, despite the obvious daggers she was currently shooting Dustin's female companion, from across the room.

"Yeah," Tori breathed.

"_So_?" Marah asked, taking her eyes away from the duo for a brief second.

"What?' Tori asked baffled.

"What's the _deal_?" Marah enquired.

Tori looked her over with a blank expression.

"Between _you_ and _Blake_?" Marah clarified. "Are you guys a _couple_ yet or what?"

"We're just _friends_, Marah," Tori insisted, turning the color of a traffic light, in the process.

"Yeah," Marah scoffed, "sure."

"We _are_," Tori insisted.

"Yeah, we'll see how long that excuse lasts," Marah informed wryly, before turning her attention back towards Dustin and his date. To her dismay, they were gone.

…

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Hunter accused, while Shane and Cam disappeared off to help Kelly with something urgent.

Blake laughed, "I wanted to surprise you guys."

"Well color me surprised," Hunter stated happily, as he hugged his brother. "It's good to see you."

"Hmm, you too," Blake agreed.

He shot a look at Kapri, who seemed to look oddly uncomfortable after Shane and Cam left.

"Hi," Blake introduced; an action which seemed to piss Hunter off. "Kapri, right?"

"Yeah," Kapri stated, with a light smile.

"I'm Blake," he continued, extending an arm out for her to shake.

Kapri took it, and shook it, "I remember. Nice to see you again."

Hunter muttered an obscenity under his breath. Kapri shot him a dark glare.

"I'd like to apologize," Blake stated sincerely. Kapri arched on eyebrow in confusion; Hunter mirrored her reaction.

"On behalf of my brother," Blake continued. "He sucks at first impressions and tends to act like a brooding villain."

Hunter looked at Blake, agape.

Kapri smirked, "you definitely are the _better_ brother."

Hunter scowled at her.

"See you around Blake," Kapri waved, before walking off.

Blake smiled and turned to face Hunter.

"Blake! What the hell?" Hunter shouted, betrayed.

"Sorry man, but someone's got to save you from yourself," Blake reasoned. "Tori told me what you did. Coal? Seriously? Dude, that was low."

"Have you forgotten that she and her sister were in cahoots with the man who killed our parents?" Hunter reminded, heatedly.

Blake swallowed hard. "They weren't responsible for that," he pointed out lightly.

Hunter shook his head, "I don't care. Everyone else might buy into their act, but I refuse too."

"Hunter-" Blake reasoned.

"Once evil, always evil," Hunter lamented.

Blake frowned.

…10…

"You better go find Tori," Hunter prodded, as the countdown started.

Blake nodded, "I'll catch you later."

…9…

"Where is he," Marah fretted; resembling a chicken with its head cut off, as she searched for Dustin.

…8…

"It's starting," Kelly gushed as she frantically handed out sparklers.

Cam smiled at her bashfully, as she played with one in her hand.

…7…

Shane stared at a sparkler with a blank expression.

"Are you okay?"

Shane snapped out of his reverie, and smiled. "Oh? Hey, Kapri."

Kapri grinned.

…6…

"Hello handsome," a girl greeted.

Hunter smirked, "Hi." He had spoken to her earlier, but for the life of him he couldn't remember her name.

…5…

"Hey you," Blake greeted.

Tori spun around to face him, and her mouth went dry, "hi."

…4…

Marah frowned, where was he?

…3…

Tori mentally prepared herself. He's my friend, she stated silently.

Blake smiled at her again.

He's my friend?

…2…

Kelly disappeared into the crowd of people.

Cam's gaze lingered on the spot where she had vanished.

"You ready?"

Cam turned away begrudgingly. He smiled as he caught sight of Kapri and Shane.

"Yeah," he said softly.

…1…

Marah felt her heart explode, as she watched Dustin with the _slack jawed swamp donkey_.

… HAPPY NEW YEARS …

Marah fought back tears as she watched Dustin kiss the girl he had been talking to all night. She turned on her heels, and made a rash dash towards the exit.

…

Kapri watched as Marah ran towards the doors that lead out of Kelly's.

A kiss on either side of her cheeks stopped her in her tracks. Kapri soon realized that she had become sandwich in between Shane and Cam.

"Happy New Years," Shane congratulated.

Cam followed Kapri's earlier gaze, and frowned as he caught sight of Marah running out of the nightclub.

"Thanks," Kapri said to Shane, "and Happy New Years to you too."

Shane smiled and ran off into the crowd of people to spread the joy.

Cam turned to look at Kapri, "Is she-"

"I'm on it," Kapri placated. She squeezed his hand lightly, "Happy New Years, Cam."

Cam smiled.

…

Blake's lips hovered over Tori's. He was so close that she could feel his warm breath.

His eyes were warm and friendly like they usually were, but tonight she noticed - that right now - they were burning with an intensity that she had never seen before. The look caused an answering need to spread in the wells of her stomach.

She had wanted this, she realized. It was the first time that she had allowed herself, to picture herself _wanting_ Blake. _Needing_ Blake. Marah and Kapri were right. There definitely was something _more_ here.

She looked up at him with helpless enthralment.

Blake's mouth closed over hers, and with a soft murmur she gave herself up to the attraction that seemed to engulf them both.

…

***** Please Review** *******


	4. January 2004

**A/N: **I'm back. Special Thanks to: MarahLuvsDustin, TheBigBadReviewer, ToriandBlake4Eva, SuperflyButterfly, Reader, Moochy Moo Moo, passerby, prnsfanatic, xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx, and Misterss Tena for your kind reviews.

**Disclaimer: **You know what's mine, and what's not.

…

_**January 7, 2004:**_

…

"Hey," Marah greeted quietly as she peered down at Tori.

Tori who had been staring at the ocean, shielded her eyes from the sun, and looked up to smile a small smile at Marah.

Marah sat down next to Tori wordlessly. Tori resumed her earlier arrangement, and returned to mindlessly staring out at the sea.

"I haven't seen you since Kelly's grand opening," Tori began, "where have you been?"

"Around," Marah muttered, quietly.

Tori sighed, "Is something wrong?"

Marah took a few seconds to answer, but when she did, her reply was not convincing, "no."

Tori turned to look at her pointedly.

Marah frowned, "you were right. I should have never gotten my hopes up like that."

Tori wrinkled an eyebrow.

"I saw him kiss another girl," Marah explained.

Tori's eyes flashed with sympathy.

"But that's okay," Marah dismissed with a shaky breath. "Who needs boys anyways?"

"Marah," Tori reasoned.

"I know, I know," Marah lamented. "Dustin's a good guy. And I blew it. I had my chance, and I messed it up. He's right to hate me … I hate me."

Tori rubbed her back sympathetically.

Marah turned to look at her and smiled lightly. "So?" she asked, quickly changing the subject. "What happened with you and Blake?"

Tori shrugged.

Marah frowned, "Hey!" she objected. "I just spilled the beans about my horrible love life. What's the deal?"

Tori shook her head, "honestly," she began tiredly, "I don't know."

Marah arched an eyebrow, "hunh?"

"The thing is…" Tori trailed off uncomfortably.

Marah's eyes widened, and her hands flew to her mouth. She fought a smile. "I knew it!" she squealed. "_What_ happened?"

Tori wrapped her hands around herself uncomfortably, "we…kissed."

Marah squealed excitedly; a sound that only dogs could have probably heard.

"Marah!" Tori raised her hands defensively, and shushed her gently.

"But you guys _kissed_," Marah squealed relentlessly. "That's _huge_."

"Yeah," Tori agreed, half-heartedly.

Marah frowned, "What?" she asked mystified. She straightened suddenly, and went rigid, "did you not _enjoy_ it?" she asked, tensed.

Tori turned pink, "no, it's not like that."

Marah's face coloured with confusion.

"I enjoyed it," Tori admitted, hesitantly. "But…"

"But what?" Marah asked.

"It. I. We. Sort of," Tori stammered, tripping over her words.

Marah looked at her taken aback.

"We haven't spoken since," Tori finally breathed. "It just happened. Then things got awkward, and we just sort of…walked away from each other without a word."

"But Blake left for Factory Blue again," Marah whispered.

"Exactly," Tori sulked. "And I haven't heard from him since."

…

"You gave her a lump of coal!" Kelly yelled. "What on earth would possess you to do something like that?"

Hunter fumed. "I can't believe she tattled on me to you. That's rich."

"Hunter," Kelly's voice was stern and warning.

Hunter glowered, "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me," Kelly shotback.

"I can't," Hunter griped. "You honestly would. Not. _Under. Stand_," he enunciated.

Kelly frowned.

…

Kapri flinched lightly as Cam yelled at her.

"I don't see _what_ the big deal is," Kapri stated dubiously, "I've driven fricken _spaceships_ for crying out loud."

"Well it's much different _here_ than it is from up _there_," Cam droned, as he pointed to the sky.

Kapri sulked.

"You need a driver's license," Cam explained with a sigh, "before you can drive a car."

"What the hell is a _driver's license_?" Kapri asked incredulously.

Cam shook his head, and rubbed the side of his temples. "A driver's license," he breathed, "is an official document that states, that a person may operate a motorized vehicle – such as a car."

Kapri smirked, "You're a regular walking dictionary aren't you?"

"Great," Cam droned, "You know what a _dictionary_ is, but you don't know what a-"

Kapri's wide grin silenced Cam.

Cam shook his head, "You knew what a driver's license was, didn't you?" he asked, knowingly.

Kapri laughed. "Uh hunh. I just_ love_ watching you squirm."

Cam huffed, "Just study the manual. I'm taking you next week for your test."

"What's a _test_?" Kapri teased with a smirk.

Cam smacked her arm playfully.

…

…

_**January 8, 2004:**_

…

…

"You bitch!" Hunter yelled, as he came thundering into the Wind Ninja Academy's lounge.

Kapri spun around and narrowed her eyes at him. "Good god," she muttered, "What crawled up your ass and died."

Hunter turned a scary shade of red. Kapri shut her mouth, immediately regretting her snark.

"Kelly paid me a visit yesterday," Hunter seethed. "I can't believe you tattled on me."

Kapri huffed and bit the sides of her mouth.

"If you've got a _problem_ with _me_," Hunter raged, "then say it to _my_ face like an adult. I'd rather that you not bitch and moan about me to other people."

"That's a load of crap," Kapri shotback - not able to hold back anymore. "You're such a hypocrite."

Hunter fumed.

Kapri took a step towards him and looked him straight in the eyes. "You talk of acting like an adult," she discoursed, "but instead of acting like an adult, and trying to work out our issues - you give me a lump of coal like some stupid child and act all broody and standoffish like a little bitch!"

Hunter's expression turned murderous, he clenched his fists together and took a step towards her – closing the distance between them.

If Kapri was afraid of him, she didn't show it. The rage in Hunter's eyes was mirrored in hers.

"Hey guys," Cam greeted, unknowingly stumbling upon the battlefield. "Did you guys wanna-" he paused, and frowned at the scene unfolding in front of him.

Hunter looked as though he were ready to practically throttle Kapri to ground and choke the life out of her, while Kapri looked as though she wanted to vomit on Hunter.

Cam ran between them and pulled Kapri away; neither seemed to have noticed Cam's presence until he appeared right in front of them.

"What the hell is going on here?" Cam demanded.

Hunter didn't answer. He shot Kapri a deadly look before storming off. Cam didn't dare stop him.

Kapri sulked. Cam turned to face her. "What happened?" he asked.

Kapri took a calming breath, "It was nothing," she muttered, "just forget it."

Cam opened his mouth to protest, but Kapri had already begun to walk away.

…

"Hey Tor," Dustin waved from a distance as Tori came running out of the ocean, with her surf board in hand.

"What's up?" Tori breathed, as she finally caught up to him.

"Nothing," Dustin shrugged, "just bored."

"I thought you and Hunter were going to the sand track?" Tori asked.

"We were," Dustin explained, "But I can't seem to find him."

"Oh," Tori stated offhandedly. She bent down to ruffle through her things that she had left laid out on the sand.

Dustin watched as she reached for her phone. She scanned the device with a frown before putting it away.

"Problem?" he asked, his tone suddenly sounding protective.

Tori shook her head, "no," she replied with a sigh of disappointment.

"He'll call you," he pointed out, much to Tori's surprise.

Tori blanched and played dumb, "who?"

"Blake," Dustin explained. "He'll call you. I mean, you know how busy he tends to get over there."

Tori flashed him a bright smile, "I wasn't thinking about Blake," she lied.

Dustin nodded, shrugging off her comment, "whatever you say dude," he stated with a smirk.

Tori smiled a small smile, but then did a face twitch.

Dustin eyed the gesture, "What?" he asked cautiously.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked, "But promise me you won't get mad."

"Why would I get mad," Dustin questioned, anxiously.

"Because it's um…it's about Marah," Tori stated uneasily.

"What about Marah?" Dustin's playful tone disappeared as he asked.

"What's the deal with you two?" Tori asked point blank.

Dustin furrowed his eyebrows at her, "nothing. No deal."

"So…" Tori began nervously, "you don't um…have feelings for her?"

Dustin frowned, "I'm never gonna go there again, dude."

Tori looked at him uncomfortably.

"She broke my trust," Dustin continued, "I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive that," he said, shaking his head as he spoke.

"She seems to really like you," Tori pointed out.

"Yeah well. I fell for that once," he replied, his tone sullen. "I'm just trying to stay clear of her. I _don't_ want to give her false hope, which is something she _didn't_ give me."

"She's changed, Dustin," Tori informed.

Dustin frowned, "but that doesn't erase what happened between us now, does it?"

…

…

_**January 21, 2004:**_

…

"How are your cousins progressing?" Sensei asked, while staring intently at Cam.

Cam shrugged, "they're fine. There training seems to be going well."

"Good," Sensei smiled, pleased.

…

"Great," Marah muttered under her breath, as she tripped over a rock. She struggled to steady herself, while keeping a firm grasp on the Tupperware bowl she held in her hand.

Her staggering soiree led her straight into the path of a flummoxed Dustin.

Marah went rigid at the sight of him, and clung tighter to the Tupperware bowl.

"You okay dude?" he asked. "Need some help?"

Marah shook her head quickly, but wordlessly.

"So whachaya got there," he continued while motioning to the Tupperware bowl.

"Cookies," Marah blurted out uncomfortably. She then held the bowl out towards him, "Do you want one?"

"Um," Dustin shrugged; "sure," he added hesitantly. There was no reason to be rude. And he didn't want to hurt her feelings.

Marah opened the lid carefully and held the bowl out towards him again.

Dustin took one and smiled, "thanks." He then bit into it, an action he regretted the moment the taste engulfed his taste buds.

"Do you like it?" Marah asked hopefully, "I made them myself."

Dustin struggled to swallow the cookie, a task that proved more difficult than he had initially thought. "It's good," he lied, struggling not to vomit in the process. He held up both thumbs for emphasis and managed a small smile.

"Really?" Marah beamed, "great! Here," she beckoned, once again holding out the Tupperware bowl, "have another one."

Dustin wept silently in horror.

…

"It's called The Psychopath Test," Kelly explained, as she poured three cups of coffee for Tori, Kapri, and herself. "A cop told me about it yesterday, when he bought a dirt bike."

"So what _is_ The Psychopath Test?" Tori asked.

"It's just cop humour. It's like a bizarre riddle," Kelly explained. "If you can answer it correctly, it's rumoured that you think like a psychopath."

Kapri laughed, "Seriously?"

"It's a joke, but here," Kelly suggested, "let me try it on you guys."

"Okay," Tori shrugged.

"Sure," Kapri stated nonchalantly.

"Alright," Kelly began, "So this girl and her sister are at their mother's funeral. And one of the sister's spots a hot guy. She immediately deems him her _ideal_ guy."

"Okay?" Tori followed. Kapri remained quiet, as she listened intently.

"So after the funeral, both sisters return home," Kelly continued. "And then… the sister who spotted the hot guy kills her sister."

Tori and Kapri frowned.

"Why'd she do it?" Kelly questioned.

Tori shrugged, "I don't know? She um… she killed her because her sister was competition? Or her sister was dating the guy, and she wanted him?"

Kelly shook her head.

"She killed her, because she wanted to _see_ the guy again - thinking he would appear at her sister's funeral," Kapri theorized.

Kelly eyed her with wide eyes, "Uh…yeah. That's right."

Tori blinked and smirked. She punched Kapri lightly in the arm, "Guess you're psycho, hunh?"

"No!" Kapri fretted, "I'm just more _insightful_ than you are."

Kelly laughed, "Whatever you say, crazy."

"You guys are so mean," Kapri droned.

Tori and Kelly laughed, while Kapri rolled her eyes at them.

"Hey guys," Marah interrupted as she waltzed into Kelly's. The nightclub was closed, given that it was a Wednesday.

"What took you so long?" Kelly asked.

"I ran into Dustin," Marah explained, which caused everyone to stare at her expectedly.

"What?" Marah asked, dumbfounded.

"I thought you were _done_ with the stalking," Kapri reminded.

"I was," Marah insisted, "I am."

"Well then?" Kelly persisted.

"I bumped into him," Marah began, everyone cringed. "Totally by _accident_," Marah clarified.

"Whatever you say, Marah," Tori hummed.

Marah sighed, "Whatevers," she huffed. "Anyways," she dismissed, changing the topic, "I come bearing gifts."

Marah placed the Tupperware bowl filled with cookies on the bar counter. The girls all reached for a cookie and dug into the bowl.

Marah smiled, obliviously.

"Ugh!" Kapri screeched; her face contorted into a look of pure disgust.

Marah eyed her with a baffled expression.

Tori's hands flew to her mouth. "Napkin," she begged, while looking at Kelly.

Kelly searched frantically for napkins behind the counter. When she finally found some, she threw a bunch at Tori and Kapri's way.

Tori spat the concoction into the napkin and looked at Marah horrified, "What _was_ that?"

"I baked them myself," Marah explained with a small voice.

"It tasted like ass," Kapri revealed, her features coloured with nausea.

"That can't be right," Marah blanched. She reached for a cookie and bit into it.

Kelly handed her a tissue without being asked.

As if in cue, Marah's face turned a light shade of green.

She reached for the tissue Kelly was holding, and spat the bits of cookie into it.

Kelly arched an eyebrow, as if to tell her 'I told you so.'

"Oh my god!" Marah lamented. "I'm so sorry."

"You should be," Tori mocked.

After a beat, Marah's eyes widened, "Oh no!" she wailed, as realization hit her.

Kelly eyed her with alarm, "What's wrong?"

"Dustin," Marah paled, "He ate like_ five_ of them."

Kapri smirked, "poor Dustin."

Marah smacked her in the arm, lightly.

"But he said they were good," Marah stated skyward, "why would he lie?"

"He probably didn't want to hurt your feelings," Tori explained.

Kelly smiled, "that's sort of sweet if you think about it," she gushed.

Marah fought a creeping blush, an action Tori took notice of.

_- I'm never gonna go there again, dude.-_

_- She broke my trust. -_

Dustin's words immediately came flying back to her, causing Tori to frown.

_- I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive that.-_

_- I'm just trying to stay clear of her. I don't want to give her false hope, which is something she didn't give me. -_

Tori felt horrible. But she had to nip this in the bud.

_- That doesn't erase what happened between us now, does it?-_

"But you know Dustin," Tori added, offhandedly. Marah turned to look at her, a bright smile gracing her face.

"He'll eat _anything_," Tori joked.

Kelly nodded, "Well that's true."

Kapri grinned, while hopping off her stool. She picked up the Tupperware bowl and threw the cookies into the garbage.

Tori avoided making eye contact with Marah. For no one but Tori seemed to notice the bright smile Marah had worn earlier, was fading from her face.

…

…

_**January 22, 2004:**_

…

"Hey," Marah greeted quietly.

Dustin who had been busy stacking sparring gloves for his upcoming lesson turned around. He managed an uncomfortable smile in Marah's direction.

"I wanted to apologize," Marah began nervously, "about yesterday."

Dustin arched an eyebrow, "Apologize about what?"

"You know…" Marah continued anxiously, "about um… about basically trying to kill you."

The colour drained from Dustin's face. His eyes widened in shock, and he could only manage an alarmed open mouth stare.

Marah suddenly realized that he had taken her light joke the wrong way. "The cookies," she quickly clarified. She watched as Dustin exhaled with obvious relief.

"So, you _know_," Dustin stated.

Marah bit her lip, apprehensively, "Were they really _that_ horrible?"

Dustin looked at the ground; "Um…" he trailed off, not making eye contact.

Marah buried her face in her hands, embarrassed. "I'm sorry."

"How did you find out?" he asked, curiously.

"Well," Marah began, "Kapri tried one, and then she basically called it ass flavoured."

Dustin laughed.

Marah looked him over with surprise.

"I wouldn't go _that_ far," Dustin enlivened.

Marah smiled at him brightly.

An awkward silence fell over them again, like a dark cloud. The way it usually always did.

"Well I better get going," Marah bided, as she motioned behind her.

Dustin nodded, "bye."

Marah quickly waved at him before leaving.

…

"Can I hitch a ride with you?" Kapri asked, as she bombarded Cam near his car.

The guys had all decided a while back to each purchase their own vehicles. Having Tori drive them around all the time – would obviously not fly well with future dates.

"Where you headed?" Cam asked.

"Storm Chargers," Kapri stated brightly.

"I'm headed there too," Cam revealed, as he motioned to the passenger door.

Kapri beamed, "cool," she replied as she got into the car, and buckled her seat belt.

"I'm meeting Hunter," Cam continued, as he began to pull out of the academy's secret entrance.

Kapri scrunched her face in disgust, "ugh," she glowered, "why'd you have to go and wreck my day like that?"

Cam arched an eyebrow, "what? I can't say his _name_ around you?"

Kapri sulked, "I'd prefer it if you didn't."

Cam exhaled heavily, "what do you have against Hunter?" he asked.

"Nothing," Kapri admitted. "_I'm_ not the one with the problem."

"So all of this insanity between the two of you – it's all on Hunter?" Cam rationalized.

"Ch-yeah," Kapri divulged, matter-of-factly.

"Hunter's a good guy," Cam reasoned. "He'll come around in his own time."

"I hope so," Kapri huffed.

Cam smiled, "I could talk to him," he offered, "get him to lighten up and go easier on you."

Kapri eyed him with a scandalized expression, "don't do that," she warned, "He'll probably accuse me of tattling on him."

…

"Am I like extremely hideous?" Marah questioned, as she marched into the Wind Ninja Academy's lounge.

The lounge, which was usually reserved for teachers only, was also used as a hangout that everyone (everyone being: Shane, Dustin, Tori, Hunter (when he was visiting the Wind academy) Cam, Marah, and Kapri) tended to use; a privilege courtesy of Sensei.

Tori furrowed her eyebrows, "hunh?"

"Dustin seems to think so," Marah groaned. She collapsed backwards onto a couch, and lay there in an awkward position.

"He's still upset with you, Marah," Tori explained.

"But I apologized to him about that," Marah moped, "you remember? It was one of the first things that I did when I got here."

"I know," Tori acknowledged, "but you hurt him. And well, it's going to take some time before he forgives you."

Marah straightened her posture on the couch and sighed.

"Don't ambush him," Tori coddled. "Give him some space. Pressuring him will only drive him further away. He needs to learn to trust you on his own, and he'll come to you – that is, when he's ready."

"What if he _never_ forgives me?" Marah asked.

Tori was at a loss of words. The thought had never crossed her mind, before now.

…

"I see Hunter," Cam informed, as he and Kapri entered Storm Chargers.

"Hey! You ready?" Kelly greeted as she sauntered up to Kapri and Cam.

"You two _know_ each other?" Cam asked, incredulously.

"Of course we know each other," Kapri reminded. "You know that."

"Yeah, but I didn't know that you guys were _friends_," Cam replied. "I mean, I thought you two met because of the guys."

"Is this a problem?" Kelly asked, confused. "Do you not want us," she made a hand gesture, motioning to herself and Kapri, as she asked, "to hang out?"

"No!" Cam mollified. "There's no problem…It was just a question," he stated lamely.

Kapri eyed him curiously.

"Oh okay," Kelly stated with a shrug, "Because Kap and I are like total BFF's now, so you're probably gonna see a lot more of me than you probably care for."

Cam blushed furiously at this, "no problem," he stated bashfully.

Kelly smiled. "Oh!" she exclaimed suddenly turning to Kapri. "I just have to check to make sure Shane's got everything under control before I leave, kay?"

"Yeah sure," Kapri dismissed.

Kelly bounced off into the back of the store, allowing Kapri to turn tyrant on Cam. "What was that about?" she grilled.

Cam paled, "what are you talking about?"

"Oh I don't know," Kapri played, "do you usually glow like Rudolph's nose around Kelly? Because if not, then you seriously need to consult your doctor about your _critical blood rush to the face_."

"What?" Cam asked, incredulously.

"You were totally blushing," Kapri gushed.

"No I wasn't," Cam dismissed.

"Yes, you were," Kapri insisted.

"No I didn't."

"Yes you did."

"No."

"Yes."

"Leave it alone, Kapri," Cam pleaded.

"Nuh-uh," Kapri grinned. "Just admit that you like-"

"Is it humanly _impossible_ for you to go an hour without bitching at someone?" Hunter leered, as he interrupted Cam and Kapri's banter.

Kapri donned him an angry open-mouthed stare. It took her a few moments to regain her composure, but when she did, she turned to Cam, "do you see," she maintained, "do see what I've been telling you about? _Now_ do you believe me?"

Cam turned to look at Hunter, but Hunter had already started firing back.

"Seriously?" Hunter sneered, "What? You gotta go speak ill of me, hoping someone will put me in my place, because you obviously can't."

"That's enough Hunter," Cam stated sternly, silencing what would have been Kapri's retort.

Hunter frowned, "just because she's your cousin doesn't mean _I_ have to be nice to her."

"Hunter," Cam silenced, "Seriously. Just stop."

"But Cam she-"

"Go and stand over there," Cam interrupted, "I'll come over and talk to you in a sec."

Hunter sulked, "but-"

"Ssshhh!" Cam hushed. "Just go."

"I'm not a child," Hunter balked.

"Then stop _acting_ like one," Cam muttered, obviously annoyed.

Kapri smirked, "ha!"

Hunter stared at her lividly.

"The same goes for you," Cam lectured, turning on Kapri. "Don't fan the flames. You'll only piss him off more."

Hunter stalked off, just as Kelly returned. "Hey," Kelly breathed, "did I miss something?" she asked, noticing Hunter's disgruntled expression.

Kelly's presence caused Cam to blush furiously again.

Kapri smirked, and muttered something about blood rushing to the face.

Kelly arched an eyebrow confused, "what was that?"

Kapri shook her head, "it's nothing."

"Alright," Kelly dismissed. She turned to Cam, "Well, bye Cam. Guess I'll see you when I see you."

Kapri began to wave, but Cam grabbed her arm. "Sorry Kel," Cam apologized, "but I need to talk to Kapri in private for a second."

"Uh. Yeah," Kelly excused, "Sure. I'll just go talk to Hunter."

Once Kelly was out of earshot, Cam turned his attention to Kapri.

"What's wrong?" Kapri asked.

"Promise me you won't tell her anything," Cam begged.

"Who?"

"Kelly," Cam stated, his tone gave off the effect that this should have been common knowledge. "Promise me you won't say anything."

"What," Kapri teased, "about you _loving_ her."

"Kapri," Cam pleaded.

"Don't worry," Kapri dismissed. "I shall take this to my grave."

"You promise," Cam certified.

"I promise," Kapri stated impatiently.

Kapri quickly motioned to Kelly. Kelly bided goodbye to Hunter and rejoined Kapri.

"Bye," Kapri bided.

Cam waved.

Kelly waved at him again quickly before leaving.

Cam watched her go before journeying over to Hunter.

"So," Cam asked, as he finally made his way over to Hunter.

"What?" Hunter mumbled.

"What is with this hatred of yours," Cam demanded. "Where is this coming from?"

Hunter exhaled dramatically, "like you even have to ask."

"Humour me Hunter," Cam chided.

Hunter huffed, "I cannot act like Kapri and Marah are do-gooder citizens all of a sudden."

"What?" Cam asked incredulously.

"They were buddy-buddy with the man who killed my parents," Hunter fumed. It was obvious by the way that he said this, that it hurt him to say it. "I have no reason to trust them."

Realization finally engulfed Cam, "Look man," he began delicately, "I'm sorry. But," he took a deep breath, as if to prepare himself, "maybe if you-"

Hunter cut him off, "what? Lightened up? Do you honestly expect me to do that? I wouldn't even speak to Kapri if it weren't for the fact that she was always up in my face. I mean, at least Marah has the sense to avoid me like the plague. But Kapri…"

Cam sighed and rubbed the side of his temples, "Hunter-"

"I _hate_ her," Hunter fumed. "I hate her, Cam. I hate her."

…


	5. February 2004

**A/N: **A big thank you to those of you who reviewed. Your kind words mean the world to me and are much appreciated.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Power Rangers franchise. If I did, then you would have seen a spinoff series following the lives of our Ninja Storm cast, and it would have looked a lot like this story.

…

_**February 7, 2004:**_

…

Kapri groaned, and leaned against the wall that stood behind her for support.

What the hell is wrong with me? She thought to herself mentally.

She bolted quickly to a nearby restroom; god willingly it was empty.

Body shaking, she hunched over a sink and heaved.

It took her a while to _realize_ that she was shaking. Kapri turned on the hot water from the tap, and let it smoulder her hands. In a quick movement, she splashed the warm water onto her face, in an attempt to calm herself.

Her body finally released the last of its contents and she collapsed backwards on to the floor.

There was no way that she could handle a full day of classes. She could hardly see straight, let alone stand up.

She needed some rest. Her skin felt as though it were on fire. It was if she could feel the fires of hell burning within her. It was all too much to take. She was positive that she was going to pass out.

After a few calming breaths, she struggled back on to her feet.

Now all she needed was to get the head Sensei's _permission_ to go home for the day. The only problem with getting consent to go home would mean that it would have to come from _Hunter_.

…

He'd probably never forgive me, Marah thought to herself sadly. She was chasing a fool's dream. Dustin had made it completely obvious that he wasn't interested in her. His actions on New Year's had proved as much.

Her phone vibrated suddenly. Marah pulled it out of her pocket and frowned.

"Hey Kap?" she greeted sadly.

"Come and get me," Kapri instructed; her voice was raspy and a bit wheezy.

Marah panicked, "Kap are you alright?"

"Do I _sound_ alright?" Kapri muttered.

"Where do you want me to meet you?" Marah asked.

"In the atrium of the Thunder Academy," Kapri said, though she made a noise as though she were about to gag.

"I'll leave right away," Marah assured.

"No," Kapri impeded. "I need permission to leave first, and the secretary said Hunter's in a meeting."

"But you sound _horrible_," Marah reasoned.

"Thanks," Kapri stated sarcastically.

"Kap," Marah reasoned, "I didn't mean it like that. I meant that, surely she should see that you're in no condition to stay."

"It's not _her_ call," Kapri said warily, "Come and get me in an hour. I'm sure I'll keep till then."

"Okay," Marah stated hesitantly. She hated the idea of her sister being ill and alone.

"Bye," Kapri bided.

…

It's like ripping off a Band-Aid, Tori assured herself, quick and painless.

She picked up her phone and called Blake's number.

The phone rang three times before going to voicemail.

Tori frowned, and ended the call.

Well at least I tried, she thought to herself glumly.

…

"Maybe I should just transfer," Marah mumbled to herself, as she scanned the hall for telltale signs of Kapri.

Dustin would obviously _not_ miss me, she sulked mentally.

Marah sighed and glanced down the hall impatiently. When it finally became clear to her that her sister was definitely nowhere in sight, she began trudging down the hall to the head Sensei's office.

…

If I were still evil, I'd definitely_ vaporize_ her for sure, Kapri thought to herself with disdain, as she stared at Hunter's secretary.

Her skin felt sore and she could still feel the inferno burning within her. When it finally all became too much, she got up - ultimately having enough of the wait.

"It's been _five_ hours," Kapri explained, hoarsely.

"I'm sorry," the young woman replied. "Sensei Hunter, will see you when he's _ready_."

"He'll _never_ be ready," Kapri spat angrily. "Screw this," she added hotly, as she stormed right past the secretary's desk.

The young woman stood up, obviously alarmed, and chased after her.

"Kapri," she lectured. "He will _expel_ you."

"Let's see him try," Kapri fumed.

She didn't even bother to knock, as she approached Hunter's office.

She threw the door open, only to find him having lunch with two of the Thunder Academy's head teachers.

"What_ is_ this," Hunter demanded. He shot a deadly look at Kapri.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kapri saw the young secretary cower backwards.

"I'm sick, you dumbass," Kapri wheezed. "What the hell are _you_ doing!"

"You have no right to-"

"Screw you!" Kapri bellyached. "I'm done with this crap!" She immediately turned on her heels and stormed out of the office.

Hunter stomped after her, "You will address me with respect," he lectured.

Kapri spun on her heels and flashed him a defiant look, "I'm leaving," she screeched. "You win! Happy now?"

She quickly turned around again, not caring for his response, and left.

Hunter watched her go. A smirk graced his face as he watched her disappear down the hall.

…

…

_**February 14, 2004:**_

…

"I can't believe you're leaving the Thunder Academy," Marah hassled.

Kapri exhaled loudly, "well it's not like I had much of a choice, now did I?" she explained. "And it's not going to be permanent. Cam will start teaching Samurai classes at both academies in a few months – I'll return to the Thunder Academy then."

Marah frowned.

"Why are you so upset about me leaving anyways," Kapri asked, her tone mixed with confusion and hurt. "If anything, I thought that you'd be happy to have me back at the Wind Academy."

"I am happy," Marah insisted. "You know that I hated not having you around. But it's just that…I finally decided that I was going to join you _there_ – at the Thunder Academy."

"Really?" Kapri questioned, unconvinced. "Why _now_?"

"It's obvious that Dustin will never forgive me," Marah fretted. "I just figured that if I didn't see him as often as I usually did, then it would help me to get over him. That's all."

…

Tori felt something in her die a little, as she read Blake's email.

It was filled with the same nonsense as usual: How are you? How's it going? Anything new?

Blah, blah, blah.

Today was Valentine's Day. It wasn't like she expected a huge declaration of love or anything, because she definitely wasn't that type of girl. But she just figured that Blake would have acknowledged what had happened between them on New Years, at least today.

But he didn't even _mention_ the kiss.

Tori felt her eyes well with tears.

Why was he acting like nothing had ever happened, she thought to herself sadly.

…

"The only thing that kills me about all of this," Kapri droned, "is that Hunter's probably going to feel like he won."

"Didn't you tell him he won," Marah reminded offhandedly.

Kapri turned on her, "yes," she admitted, "but it was a moment of temporary insanity. I was sick! I had no control over what I was saying, and he was being an ass."

Marah smiled lightly, "I would have loved to see his face when you called him a dumbass."

Kapri laughed, "Yeah. That was pretty awesome. It's probably the only good thing that came out of my meltdown though."

Marah smirked.

"Oh well," Kapri dismissed. "I'll just feel a lot safer with Cam around when I return. It'll be assuring to know that I've got some sort of back up, you know?"

…

"Got any plans?" Dustin asked, as he and Hunter approached Shane at the vert ramp.

Shane picked up his skateboard, and shrugged, "no, not really. Why? What's up?"

"We met these two girls at the sandtrack," Dustin continued.

"And they've got two friends," Hunter pointed out. "We thought maybe you and Cam would wanna hang."

Shane took a deep breath, "yeah," he agreed, his tone carefree, "sure. Whatever."

"Cool," Dustin said. "We're gonna go to that new Italian place. I'll text you the deets."

…

Kelly handed Tori a carton of ice cream.

"It's okay," Kapri assured, as she rubbed Tori's back. "Maybe he's afraid"

Tori turned to look at her, "Why? Why would he be afraid?"

"Guys freak out over the idea of a relationship," Kelly explained.

"Maybe he's afraid that he over stepped," Kapri suggested. "Maybe he thinks that you might not feel the same way, and he's afraid to face that reality if he's right."

"But still," Tori muttered, "he should at least respond to my calls. Every time I call I get his voice mail."

"Oh?" Marah cringed. "Do you think that he saw it was you and sent it to voicemail?"

Tori sulked, "No…"

Kelly and Kapri shot Marah incredulous looks.

"But I think that now," Tori lamented. She stuck a mouthful of chocolate ice cream into her mouth. "Thanks!"

Marah cowered, "I'm so sorry," she apologized. "I'm always putting my foot in my mouth!"

"Some Valentine's day," Kelly whispered quietly to Kapri.

"Yeah, I know," Kapri agreed. "Bitter, alone, and single. Aren't we awesome?"

…

…

_**February 21, 2004:**_

…

"So do you wanna hit the beach later," Dustin asked as he bit into his cheeseburger.

Hunter turned to look at her.

Tori shook her head, "can't," she dismissed, airily, "I've got plans."

"With who?" Hunter asked. Dustin looked at her expectedly for an answer.

"With the girls," Tori stated.

Hunter frowned, "and by girls, you mean Marah and Kapri."

"And Kelly," Tori added.

"Why do you hang out with those two anyways?" Hunter asked; his tone drenched with disdain. Dustin furrowed his eyebrows at him as he said this.

"Because they're my friends," Tori explained. "Believe what you guys want, but they've _changed_. You've just got to give them a chance."

"But aren't they girl-girls," Dustin stated offhandedly.

Tori eyed him pointedly, "Yeah," she mused, "So?"

Hunter fought a smirk.

"But you're _not_," Dustin stated simply, oblivious to Tori's tone.

"Not to mention they're also insane," Hunter added. "Difference is you hide your insanity well," he teased.

Tori punched him in the arm, and chose to ignore his statement. "They've _changed_," she stressed again, "both mentally and physically," she added. "I mean their makeup, hair and clothes aren't as hideous as they used to be, and believe it or not they're true friends. I honestly, don't know what I would have done without them and Kel these past few weeks."

Dustin narrowed his eyes at her concerned. Hunter followed suit.

"What does that mean?" Dustin cautioned. "What happened?"

"It's _girl_ stuff," Tori dismissed.

…

¸.·´¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)  
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´ ¸¸.·¨¯`·.

_Help me…_

_Please, help me…_

_Shane…_

_Shane!..._

_I need your help!_

¸.·´¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)  
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´ ¸¸.·¨¯`·.

Shane awoke with a start.

He ran a hand over his face, and realized that he was drenched in cold sweat. "What the hell is wrong with me?" he thought desperately.

…

…

_**February 28, 2004:**_

…

Marah doubled over in pain, "This is _hell_," she screamed loudly.

Kapri flinched slightly.

"This is all _your_ fault!" Marah ranted, pointing the finger of blame at Kapri.

Kapri frowned, "Marah! I was sick three weeks ago! You couldn't have gotten my cold!"

"Germs can survive for weeks on fabrics," Marah droned.

Kapri made a face at her and placed her hand on her sister's forehead worriedly. She pulled her hand back quickly. Marah was burning up.

"You have a fever," Kapri muttered.

"Ya think," Marah whimpered. "What's wrong with me? How did you live through this? I feel like I'm dying."

"It'll pass," Kapri promised.

"What if I can't handle it," Marah cried; the delirium beginning to set in.

Kapri took a seat next to her sister and wrapped her arms around her. "It'll be okay," she promised as she rubbed both of Marah's arms soothingly.

Marah began to sob, "This can't be the flu! What if I die?"

Kapri stiffened, but she answered her as calmly as she could, "You won't die." If it weren't for Marah's condition, she probably would have slapped her for uttering such nonsense.

"I know how bad it hurts," Kapri assured, "but it'll pass."

Marah cried harder.

…

***** Please Review *****


	6. March 2004

**A/N: **Much love to those of you who reviewed.

**Disclaimer: **I wish I owned Power Rangers.

…

_**March 6, 2004:**_

…

"This is Wendy Walters live with Angel Grove News," the reporter on the television channel beamed, "I am here at the annual local motocross tournament."

"It's on!" Dustin hollered as he watched Cam tweak Kelly's little TV. The image however was still blurry.

"Careful with that," Kelly whispered.

Cam jumped slightly. He had been so enraptured with cross correlating the television's signals, that he hadn't realized that Kelly had been sitting next to him. Cam had never been this close to her before, and with a sudden panic, he realized that all of the blood in his body was rushing to his face. He looked up at her, immediately after she had spoken, and for the first time he _really_ noticed her face: The way that her nose wrinkled with anxiety, the beauty of her ocean blue eyes, the shape of her eyebrows, the way her red hair cascaded past her shoulders, the shape of her lips…

Kelly smiled at him bashfully, and waved a hand in his face. "Earth to Cam," she laughed. "Come in Cam?"

Cam shook his head, and turned away embarrassed.

"Who wants potato chips?" Marah asked, as she entered the lounge.

Everyone had decided to meet up at Storm Chargers to watch Blake's first televised race.

Kelly got up from her spot and turned to look at Marah, whom of which was already ravishing through the bag of potato chips.

"Hmph!" Kelly remarked, "Why is it that you can eat half your weight in junk food and never gain a pound?"

"I exercise a lot," Marah answered absentmindedly. She sat down in the spare seat next to Cam. "Potato chip?" she offered.

Cam grinned, but shook his head, "no."

"Whatever," Marah shrugged, but then added with a hint of crazed lunacy, "more for me."

Dustin fought a smile, as Kelly shook her head at her.

"Hey," Hunter greeted as he entered the lounge.

Kelly smiled, "Did you talk to Blake? Did you tell him that we'll be watching?"

Hunter laughed, "Yeah. And he says that that makes him even more nervous."

"Well someone's gotta rub this in his face if he places horribly," Shane cackled as he entered the lounge.

"There!" Cam acknowledged, while taking a step away from the TV. The image was now perfect and clear."

"Awh yeah," Dustin laughed, slapping Cam on the back in a congratulatory manner.

"Way to go Cam," Kelly cheered.

Shane laughed and took a seat on the armrest next to Marah. He reached down and snatched the bag of potato chips away from her.

"Hey," Marah stated in a mixture of surprise, glee, and annoyance.

"You ate like the entire thing," Shane laughed.

"I'm a growing girl," Marah pouted.

Shane laughed and stole a chip. He handed the bag back to Marah. "Here you go my lady," he said.

Marah giggled, "Why thank you kind sir."

Tori and Kapri entered the lounge immersed in conversation. They looked up as Shane approached them.

"S'up mamas," Shane greeted.

"Who gave you sugar?" Kapri smirked. "You know it makes you hyper."

Shane winked at her and Tori.

"Are you high?" Tori laughed, "What's with him?"

"Nothing," Hunter grinned, "he seems fine to me. He's his usual _freak of nature_ self."

Kapri stifled a laugh, just as Shane threw a pillow at Hunter. Hard.

"So?" Dustin asked suggestively, as he stared at Tori. "Excited Tor?"

Tori narrowed her eyes at him, "What's _that_ suppose to mean."

"Nothing," Dustin laughed, feigning innocence. His tone however gave off that that was not the case.

Tori ignored him.

"Hey Kap," Kelly spoke, "Come help me with the drinks."

Kapri followed her silently, and the two left the room.

"Dude! Did you tell Hunter about what happened with that Justin kid from your class?" Dustin asked Shane.

Cam laughed, as sudden recollection hit him.

"What happened?" Hunter asked; wide eyed.

"Okay, so I'm setting everything up for a sparring match," Shane began.

Marah shot a look at Tori, and noticed that Tori seemed to be staring a hole into the floor.

"Yeah," Hunter followed, as he listened to Shane.

…

Tori looked up and found Marah staring at her. Marah nudged her head to the side, motioning to go outside.

"Are you serious?" Hunter exclaimed. Tori eyed him confused, unaware that the boys had been having a conversation.

"I know, right?" Shane laughed.

Tori nodded at Marah and got up.

Marah followed suit.

The sounds of Hunter, Shane, Cam and Dustin laughing hysterically echoed behind them as they left the lounge.

…

"What's up buttercup?" Marah asked, as she looked at Tori.

Tori shrugged, she leaned against the front counter near Kelly's cash register. "It's just weird seeing him," Tori lamented, "That's all."

"So what happened when you responded back to his email?" Marah asked. "Did he say anything? Did he explain himself?"

Tori didn't answer.

Marah's eyes widened, "Tor?"

Tori looked at her ashamed.

Marah's jaw dropped, "Oh my god, you didn't!"

Tori sighed, "I couldn't Marah!"

"You didn't respond to his email," Marah whined, "Torrrrrriiiiiiiiii."

"I didn't know what to say," Tori reasoned.

"He's going to think that you want nothing to do with him now," Marah pointed out. "You should have at least said _hi_."

"Just _hi_," Tori stated incredulously.

"It's still _something_," Marah griped.

Kelly and Kapri approached the arguing duo curiously.

"Whatcha talkin bout?" Kelly greeted.

Kapri held out a tray of drinks to Marah and Tori. Marah took one.

"Tori never responded to Blake's email," Marah tattled, despite Tori's urging looks not to.

Tori huffed and shot Marah a '_this-is-the-last-time-I'll-ever-tell-you-anything_' stare.

Kapri and Kelly looked at her agape. "You did what?" they stated in unison.

…

…

_**March 13, 2004:**_

…

"Dude!" Dustin laughed, "Easy on the teach!"

Kyle grinned nervously, "sorry Sensei Dustin. I always seem to have trouble slowing down."

"You just need to work on gaining traction," Dustin sympathized. "It'll be easy as pie, dude."

The rest of the students lay on the grass as they watched Dustin teach Kyle what he meant.

"Now watch me," Dustin lectured. He ninja streaked to the far end of the sparring ground.

The students all watched curiously as he broke off into a full sprint.

"Lift with your left leg first," Dustin yelled, "and then push off with your right," he instructed, as he shot up into the air.

Dustin then landed gracefully on his feet.

The students stood up and clapped.

"Like I said," Dustin brushed off his shoulders, "easy as pie."

Kyle looked at him nervously.

"It'll take some time," Dustin noted. "I wasn't perfect either. It took me a while to learn that move."

"Really?" Kyle asked.

"Really," Dustin concurred.

Kyle smiled, "what changed?"

"Drank a lot of energy drinks," Dustin grinned.

The entire class laughed.

"Okay people," Dustin bided. "That's it for today. Scoot. You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here."

Everyone laughed again.

Dustin smiled and waved. Amid the _goodbye Sensei Dustin's_ and _See you later's_, he caught sight of Marah running across the grounds.

He paused in his tracks, and watched as she jumped on a startled Kapri's back. Kapri responded by hurling her violently to the floor.

He felt something in him twist with worry, but the feeling subsided upon hearing and seeing Marah cackle while laughing and pointing at Kapri.

Dustin scolded himself lightly. What happened to Marah wasn't his concern.

Despite the occurrence, Kapri helped Marah up, and the sisters began to walk away; heading towards the Wind academy while bickering as usual.

Dustin watched them go. He turned to leave, but then spun around and stared at the spot that the sisters had been standing at earlier.

With alarm Dustin racked his brain. He realized with sudden shock, that it had been over a month since Marah had last spoken to him.

That couldn't have been right? He thought to himself uneasily, could it?

…

…

_**March 20, 2004:**_

…

"Five bedrooms," Kelly squealed, "two of which have a balcony overlooking the beach. There are two bathrooms, a completely furnished kitchen and living room-"

"Is she serious," Hunter interrupted.

"Oh she's serious," Tori validated.

Kapri arched an eyebrow.

"How did you even manage to score these Kel?" Dustin asked in awe.

"Is that a yes?" Kelly asked hopefully.

Shane exchanged silent looks with Dustin, Tori, Hunter, Cam, Marah, and Kapri. All of which, were currently scattered within the confines of the beach house, which was soon to belong to the girls.

"That's a hell yes," Shane agreed.

…

"That's amazing guys," Blake's voice boomed from the cell phone which Hunter held between his hands.

"I know, eh?" Shane beamed. "The girls have a beach house right next door to ours-"

"And there are five rooms in each house," Cam interrupted.

"Awesome," Blake laughed.

"So that means when you come and visit, you've got one rad place to crash, dude," Dustin hooted.

"And Tori'll be. Right. Next. Door," Shane teased, enunciating the latter words for emphasis as he spoke.

The guys laughed. Blake, on the other hand, didn't join in.

"Uh…" Hunter tensed, "Blake? You still there?"

"Yeah," Blake sighed. "I'm still here."

"We were just messing with you, man?" Shane appeased.

"Yeah, yeah," Blake laughed, the sound was strained. "I know."

"Is everything okay?" Hunter asked.

"Yeah," Blake assured, though his tone betrayed him.

The guys flinched and exchanged awkward glances.

"Did something happen between you and Tor?" Hunter asked. "Did you guys get into a fight or something?"

Blake went silent.

…

"I can't believe that he just left you these houses in his will," Marah exclaimed.

Kelly grinned, "I know, right? I mean, I had no idea that he was rich."

"And he didn't have any family?" Kapri asked.

"No," Kelly answered sadly. "But he was just the sweetest man. There was always a smile on his face, and he always had all of these interesting stories to tell when he came to my store."

"Most of them were about wars he fought," Tori recalled.

"Yeah," Kelly breathed.

"He must have really liked you," Marah noted.

"Ch-yeah," Kapri agreed, while motioning around herself.

Kelly chuckled, "I guess so," after a beat she added, "so? Do you guys know what colors you're gonna paint your rooms?"

"Baby blue," Tori replied in a tone that conveyed that this should have been common knowledge.

"Pink," Kapri stated, palpably.

"Orange," Marah responded, matter-of-factly.

Kelly donned them all an astonished look, "Well that was fast."

…

Cam and Shane pointed to the back rooms silently, signalling that they were going to unpack a bunch of boxes.

Hunter nodded wordlessly.

"Dude?" Dustin asked, "Blake you there?"

"Tori and I haven't exactly spoken to each other since New Years," Blake revealed hesitantly.

Dustin and Hunter exchanged baffled glances.

"What?" Dustin blurted out, despite himself.

"How come?" Hunter asked.

"Look it's nothing," Blake dismissed. "So, Dustin," he toggled quickly, "How's freestylin' workin out?"

Dustin laughed nervously at Blake's obvious sudden diversion, but he broke off into chatter nonetheless.

Hunter stared at the phone and frowned.

…

…

_**March 27, 2004:**_

¸.·´¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)  
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´ ¸¸.·¨¯`·.

Shane looked around in a daze.

Where am I?

He covered his mouth with his hand, as nausea enveloped him.

The place smelled of rotting eggs and corpses; a lethal combination.

Shane also couldn't help but note the unusual humidity of his surroundings.

His eyes burned, and he struggled to squint through the foul smoke that drifted around him.

¸.·´¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)  
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´ ¸¸.·¨¯`·. _Help me! _¸.·´¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)  
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´ ¸¸.·¨¯`·.

Shane froze.

He spun around in shock, but found no one in sight.

Of course you're alone, he chided himself. You're always alone!

¸.·´¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)  
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´ ¸¸.·¨¯`·. _Shane! _¸.·´¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)  
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´ ¸¸.·¨¯`·.

Shane paled.

He began to spin around frantically like a crazed helicopter propeller.

¸.·´¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)  
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´ ¸¸.·¨¯`·. _Shannee _¸.·´¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)  
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´ ¸¸.·¨¯`·.

Shane cowered with dread.

He'd know that voice anywhere.

¸.·´¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)  
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´ ¸¸.·¨¯`·. _Shaannneee! _¸.·´¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)  
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´ ¸¸.·¨¯`·.

Her voice grew more and more desperate and tortured with each passing breath.

Shane's knees began to buckle beneath him.

¸.·´¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)  
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´ ¸¸.·¨¯`·. _Shaaannnneeee! _¸.·´¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)  
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´ ¸¸.·¨¯`·.

"Where are you!" he screamed.

¸.·´¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)  
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´ ¸¸.·¨¯`·. _Shaaaannnnneeeee! _¸.·´¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)  
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´ ¸¸.·¨¯`·.

Shane fell to the floor, and covered his ears with his hands.

¸.·´¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)  
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´ ¸¸.·¨¯`·. _Shaaaaannnnnneeeeee! _¸.·´¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)  
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´ ¸¸.·¨¯`·.

Shane began to sob, while rocking himself back and forth. "You're not here," he chanted. "You're not here!"

¸.·´¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)  
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´ ¸¸.·¨¯`·. _Shaaaaaaannnnnnnneeeeeeee! _¸.·´¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)  
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´ ¸¸.·¨¯`·.

Her screams for help made him want to cry.

¸.·´¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)  
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´ ¸¸.·¨¯`·. _Help Me! _¸.·´¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)  
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´ ¸¸.·¨¯`·.

"I can't," Shane sobbed. "I can't. I can't. I can't," he howled, in an unending litany of despair. "I can't. I can't. I can't."

…

"I can't."

"Shane!"

"I can't. I can't."

"Shane!"

"I can't."

"Shane!" Hunter yelled. He shook him more firmly this time.

"I ca-" Shane eyes flew open. "Wha…?"

Hunter eyed him with concern, "Dude? Are you alright?"

Hunter took a step back, as Shane struggled to sit upright in his bed.

Shane rubbed his eyes and took a calming breath. He looked around his room and realized that it was still dark out. He ran a hand across his face. His body was drenched in cold sweat.

Peering over at his alarm clock he saw that it was three in the morning. He also noticed that his bedroom door had been ripped off its hinges.

Shane pointed at the fallen door and turned to Hunter.

"The door was locked," Hunter explained, "and I thought that you were being attacked."

"Was I that loud?" Shane asked embarrassed.

"I'm a light sleeper," Hunter admitted, "…though Cam and Dustin on the other hand - could probably sleep through a war."

"Sorry, dude," Shane apologized.

"Its fine," Hunter dismissed; after a beat he added, "Are you still having those freaky dreams?"

Shane nodded wordlessly.

Hunter frowned, "I would talk to Sensei if I were you."

"I'm fine," Shane pronounced.

"No offence, but that," Hunter said, as he flailed his hands about in front of him - while motioning to Shane, "did not sound _fine_."

Shane sighed and buried his head in his hands, "I know."

…

***** Please Review *****


	7. April 2004

**Disclaimer: **I own nothin' … sept the plot dat I'm devisin'. Woot. Woot.

Enjoy.

…

_**April 1, 2004:**_

…

Marah scanned Storm Chargers quickly as she ran inside. Kelly was probably going to kill her, Marah thought as she peered about hoping to spot the redhead.

Dustin smiled, as he caught sight of her, "hey Ma…"

Marah was so preoccupied with her search that she failed to spot Dustin, and walked briskly passed him.

"…rah," he finished lamely.

He watched as she ran into the backroom. Within seconds she ran back out. She put her hands on her hips and scrutinized the vicinity.

Dustin sauntered up to her, and tried again.

For some reason, she still didn't seem to notice him. She looked caught up in something, Dustin noted.

"Hey Marah," he greeted again.

Marah jumped in her spot, and whirled around in shock. "Oh?" she exclaimed flabbergasted. "Hi Dustin," she smiled sweetly, "Sorry. I didn't notice you there."

Dustin furrowed his eyebrows. What did she mean by that? He thought to himself, disturbed. She always seemed to notice him. All she ever did for months was _notice_ him. What was her deal?

Marah turned away from him, seemingly distracted again.

Dustin glowered.

He then straightened suddenly, upon recognizing the date. "Oh right!" he laughed.

Marah spun around to face him.

"Ha. Ha. I get it," he enthused.

Marah flashed him a bright smile, but her face was coloured with light confusion.

"April fools," Dustin laughed, observably. No wonder she didn't notice him. She was _pretending_, he thought wryly.

Marah pursed her lips in thought. After a moment of contemplation, she spoke, "I don't get it…"

Dustin went quiet.

Marah looked up at him expectantly.

"April fools?" Dustin stated uncertainly.

Marah shook her head slowly, "I still don't get it?"

Dustin frowned.

"But that's just me," Marah placated. "I'm such an airhead," she reminded with a laugh. "Kapri's always cracking jokes that I don't get."

Dustin grimaced. Was she really over him?

"I guess I'm just slow," Marah shrugged, oblivious to Dustin's sudden soberness.

"Right…" Dustin stated awkwardly.

"Yeah…" Marah replied, laughing nervously. Her eyes darted away from his face apprehensively. Damn it, she cursed herself, mentally. Now he thinks you're even more pathetic than before! She met Dustin's gaze again, gauchely.

Dustin flashed her an uneasy smile.

Perfect! Marah scolded herself inwardly. Just walk away! You were doing so well, with ignoring him. Forget about him! He doesn't like you!

"I have to go," Marah blurted out suddenly.

Dustin nodded quickly, "okay," he replied faster than he should have.

"Yeah," Marah responded lamely. "Bye."

Dustin watched her scurry away. It was evident to him that she couldn't have gotten away from him faster.

…

…

_**April 10, 2004:**_

…

What could he possibly say that could make sense?

Blake stared a hole into his computer screen. He stared at it so long that he forgot where he was for a moment.

The blank draft illuminating the screen brought him back to reality.

What could he possibly say that could make this better?

He felt like screaming. Going full speed ahead at 200 miles per hour, and winning tournaments was easy. Destroying Lothor was easy.

_This _was hard.

He stretched his hand, cracked a few knuckles, and then began to type.

S'UP TORI,

Blake frowned. _S'up? _S'up sounded too casual. Being casual was what got him into this mess? He erased what he wrote, and tried again.

HELLO TORI,

Blake sighed. No. Now he sounded like he was trying too hard. _Hello_ didn't sound right either. He erased it, and tried again.

How about, _hey_? Hey sounded safe. People said hey all the time. But Tori wasn't just people. She wasn't just anyone. Tori was _someone_.

Someone special.

Tori was _Tori_.

Blake sighed and rubbed his eyes. He was definitely over thinking this.

Just write what's in your heart, he fretted.

The problem was that the feelings he was currently having, scared him to death.

Tori scared him to death. She scared him to death in a good way.

She made him feel _complete_. When he was with her, he felt complete.

Blake eyed his screen again. But what if she didn't feel the same way? He panicked.

He took a deep breath and summoned every ounce of courage that he had.

HOW'S IT GOING TORI?

Not too short. Not too long.

It was simple and straight to the point.

With any luck, he hoped she would reply back.

These words were after all, the first words he ever uttered to her.

Hopefully this could be his saving grace.

…

…

_**April 17, 2004:**_

…

Dustin eyed his phone confused, "hello?" he greeted cautiously.

"Expecting someone creepy?" Blake joked from the other line.

"Awh dude!" Dustin laughed, "Naw, man. What's up? We've been watchin your races."

"Yeah?" Blake mused.

"Yeah," Dustin confirmed. "Dude, you're on a roll. First place in all your tournaments," he gushed. "Awesome!"

"So _everyone's_ been watching?" Blake asked.

"Ch-yeah," Dustin grinned matter-of-factly. "Which FYI is hard to do. I mean, your recent races were in Briarwood, Mariner Bay, Turtle Cove, and Angel Grove. We had to have Cam tamper with satellite signals and what not just to watch."

Blake laughed, "Dude, isn't that stealing? Doesn't that go against ninja code?"

"Man, that only applies to samurai's," Dustin informed with a chuckle. "Samurai's are big on the whole honour thing…though Cam does practice their ways…"

Blake smiled.

"Awh man! Should I tell him?" Dustin panicked. "No you know what," he dismissed quickly, "never mind. Don't say nothin to him. He's the only one that knows how to cross reference wires and whatevers. No harm, no foul!"

"Okay," Blake laughed. "Easy dude. Don't get your panties in a bunch. I won't say anything."

"Ha. Ha," Dustin replied sardonically. "So what's up? Everything good?"

"Everything's good," Blake pledged. "Everything good with you?"

"Yeah," Dustin grinned.

"How's everyone else?" Blake asked. "Is Shane still having those dreams?"

"Un hunh," Dustin informed, his tone changing drastically to one filled with concern. "I'm worried about him."

"I'm sure it's nothing," Blake assured.

"Yeah," Dustin hoped, "I'm sure you're right."

"How about Cam?" Blake asked, "Is Cam good?"

"Yup," Dustin updated, curiously. "Cam's good."

"And Tori?" Blake pondered; trying hard to hide the interest from his voice.

Dustin smirked. There we go, he thought wryly. "Tori's good," he stated easily.

"Yeah?" Blake asked. "Did she um… did she say anything about me?"

"Was she supposed to?" Dustin cogitated.

"Um, no," Blake blurted.

Dustin arched an eyebrow as Blake went silent.

"Blake?" Dustin questioned when he didn't speak.

"I'm here," Blake enlightened. "Did Tori um… did she mention anything about receiving an email.

Dustin racked his brain, "no…" he stated carefully.

Blake sighed.

"Blake," Dustin treaded charily, "is something wrong?"

"No," Blake said.

"Are you sure?" Dustin probed. "Is there something that you're not telling me?"

"No," Blake repeated.

"Did something happen between you and Tori?" Dustin asked, point blank.

Blake went quiet again.

"Blake?" Dustin pressed.

"I have to go," Blake bided quickly. "Bye."

Dustin opened his mouth to protest, but Blake had already hung up.

…

…

_**April 24, 2004:**_

…

Tori handed Kapri a cool dishrag. "Place it on your forehead," she advised. Kapri did as she instructed.

Marah played with the collar of her shirt, "Why is it so hot!" she cried, as she tugged on her collar in an attempt to cool herself.

"This isn't helping," Kapri droned; she threw the dishrag limply to the ground.

"Is it normal for you guys to experience hot flashes?" Tori asked skyward.

"No," Marah murmured. She collapsed backwards onto the couch behind her.

"We're not sixty year old women going through menopause," Kapri frowned.

Tori cringed, "I didn't mean it like that," she apologized. "I just meant that since you guys are, you know, _aliens_" Marah narrowed her eyes at Tori as she emphasized the word, "that maybe there's just more to this," Tori continued, "that's all?"

"Like what?" Kapri asked, as she collapsed in front of a fan. She turned it on and let the cool air hit her face. To her dismay, it didn't help much.

"I don't know," Tori fluttered, "maybe its earth's atmosphere."

"Are you saying that we're _allergic_ to earth?" Marah asked, incredulously.

"Of course not," Tori insisted. "But there's got to be a reason that you're feeling like this."

"It's just the flu," Kapri muttered.

Marah sulked, and closed her eyes. Maybe sleep would help, she thought to herself.

Tori eyed Kapri anxiously.

"It'll pass," Kapri assured Tori, though it sounded more like an attempt to reassure herself.

…

***** Please Review *****


	8. May 2004

**A/N: **I'm back. Special Thanks to: MarahLuvsDustin, TheBigBadReviewer, ToriandBlake4Eva, SuperflyButterfly, Reader, Moochy Moo Moo, passerby, prnsfanatic, xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx, and Misterss Tena for your kind reviews.

Also, thank you to those of you who alerted and/or favourited my story. It is much appreciated and means a lot.

**Disclaimer: **I owned a figurine mighty morphin pink power ranger from Bandai, does that count? … No? … Didn't think so.

The commentary Tori is listening to in the May 15 section is taken from an actual motocross event. Therefore, it doesn't belong to me.

…

_**May 1, 2004:**_

…

Shane awoke screaming and crying.

He looked around his room in a daze and realized that he had been sitting in his bed, clutching a pillow, and rocking back and forth.

What's wrong with me? He thought to himself. Why was this happening? None of this made any sense.

It wasn't normal to wake up in a panic.

It wasn't normal to feel as though he had been walking through hell, because that's what he had deemed all of this: _hell_.

His slumber had become hell.

His dream world had turned into his own personal hell. He feared going to bed. The thought of closing his eyes filled him with dread.

Every night it was the same ludicrous pattern.

Every night it was the same dream.

The same place.

And the same girl.

_Skyla_ - the one person whom he could never save.

Because, wasn't that the truth? He could never save her.

Shane felt stupid and useless. He couldn't save her then, and he couldn't save her now.

He missed her, yet he hardly even knew her.

She had been taken from him so quickly.

He would never forget that horrible day when she died in his arms. Her life had left her body so quietly. He remembered feeling how lifeless her body had been.

He remembered watching as she took her last breath.

A sob erupted through Shane's lips.

"I miss you Skyla," he wept. "I miss you."

…

…

_**May 8, 2004:**_

…

Marah and Kapri smiled and waved at Sensei as he entered the lounge of the Wind academy.

"Hi uncle?" Marah greeted.

Sensei smiled and nodded wordlessly at her. He had agreed to let Marah and Kapri call him uncle when they were alone or surrounded with familiar faces. Other than that, they were to address him as Sensei.

"Afternoon tea?" Kapri enquired.

Sensei laughed, "I just finished."

The girls smiled and faced him expectantly.

"Tori told me that the two of you were unwell last week," he began, his tone filled with worry.

Kapri blanched. "It's nothing," she dismissed quickly. "It was just a cold."

"_Nothing_?" Marah repeated dubiously, "it was _hell_," she reminded. She then went rigid, having momentarily forgotten about Sensei's presence. "Pardon my language, uncle," she apologized quickly.

"It's alright," Sensei excused, with the wave of a hand.

"It's nothing to worry about," Kapri assured. Sensei met her gaze.

Kapri faltered, "Right?" she asked uncertainly.

"Has this sort of thing happened before?" Sensei asked, concerned.

"Yes," Marah answered quickly. "Why," she panicked.

"Are we allergic to earth?" Kapri asked despite herself.

Sensei laughed a hearty laugh, "No. No, of course not."

Marah and Kapri each breathed a sigh of relief.

"But," Sensei added, "if you get sick again, and you find that your symptoms are getting worse – you let me know, okay?"

"Yeah," Marah agreed cheerfully. Kapri nodded silently.

Sensei smiled, "now if you will excuse me. I must go check on some students."

"Okay," Kapri bided.

"Bye uncle," Marah grinned.

The girls resumed their conversation of earlier, as Sensei left the room.

Sensei's face contorted into a perturbed expression, once he was out of sight. He clasped his hands together and fidgeted nervously. He needed to speak to Cam _immediately_.

…

…

_**May 9, 2004:**_

…

Sensei frowned as he eyed a picture of Miko. There was no reason to be worried, he lectured himself. Nothing's happened. You shouldn't overreact.

"Hey dad," Cam greeted as he entered his father's office. "You wanted to see me?"

It didn't hurt to be prepared, Sensei thought to himself; he tore his gaze away from Miko's photograph, and stashed the photo away quickly, before Cam took notice.

"Is something wrong?" Cam asked, as he took note of his father's almost terror stricken expression.

"Everything is fine Cam," Sensei assured, "you need not worry."

Cam's stared at him; unconvinced.

"How have Marah and Kapri been acting around you?" Sensei enquired.

Cam arched an eyebrow confused, "fine," he answered carefully, "why?"

"That's good," Sensei noted. "How have they been acting around everyone else?"

Cam frowned. Why did it matter, he thought; disturbed.

"Well," Cam began guardedly, "They get along with everyone quite well. Shane was initially the most accepting of them, but Tori has warmed up to them considerably. They get along well with the other students," Cam noted. "Dustin is …" he searched his mind for the right word, "… nonchalant, I guess. But there aren't any real issues of concern there," he added quickly. "Hunter, on the other hand…" Cam trailed off. Sensei took note of the change in his tone.

"Hates them," Cam finished. There really wasn't any real way to reword Hunter's feelings for his cousins. Hunter had made his hatred of Marah and Kapri plain as day. The only difference was that he just ignored them now.

"I am aware of Hunter's feelings," Sensei divulged, "and I have spoken to him about the matter. However, Hunter's feelings are much expected. Hopefully in time, his wounds will heal."

"Um, Dad?" Cam squirmed slightly, "why are you asking me this?"

"Because," Sensei informed matter-of-factly, "I want you to keep a close eye on Marah and Kapri?"

"Why?" Cam panicked.

"Just humour me Cam," Sensei replied softly. "Just humour me."

…

…

_**May 15, 2004:**_

…

"Hey Tori?" Kelly yelled as she knocked on Tori's bedroom door.

"Come in," Tori shouted from inside.

Kelly opened the door and peered into the room, "Wanna come with me and Kap to the beach? Shane's meeting us there as well."

Tori shook her head, and sat up in her bed, "No. I think I'm just going to lounge about here."

"Okay," Kelly stated with a shrug, "suit yourself. But if you change your mind, you know where to find us."

"Kay," Tori waved.

Kelly flashed her a smile before leaving.

Tori sighed and crawled out of bed. She headed to the kitchen for a snack.

She opened the fridge and was met with various Tupperware bowls, each of which contained different types of food. Where Marah failed to cook something pleasant, Kapri on the other hand was a whiz. Therefore, she was usually the one making breakfast and dinner for them. Tori figured that it probably came with the territory of being the older sibling.

She smirked, and realized that she was one to talk about Marah's cooking skills. The best she could manage was to prepare toast.

Kelly was also a cooking goddess as well. How Kelly had found the time to learn, boggled Tori's mind.

Tori settled on preheating a plate of pasta, and headed into the living room. She turned on the TV and settled into the couch.

Popping a mouthful of pasta into her mouth, the ongoing commentary on the TV reached her ears.

"_Oh man, someone just went upside down and it was a Suzuki! That's not the best place to do it! Someone's going to collect that off the jump if they're not careful!_

Tori whipped her head up immediately and stared in shock at the screen. Damn it, she cursed mentally. Out of all the channels to randomly show up – it had to be motocross.

"And that was live coverage from your race in Briarwood," a reporter gushed, as the interview returned from a previous recap.

Tori nearly fainted as she stared at Blake's image on the screen.

"You realize that you're a sensation in the world of motocross," the reporter complimented.

Blake blushed, "I wouldn't go that far," he stated modestly.

Tori's heart tightened. Typical Blake, she thought inwardly, with a smile.

"Some even have you pegged as a future … Dare I say: _legend_," the reporter continued.

Blake laughed, "Now you've definitely gone too far."

The reporter giggled.

Tori sighed; her thoughts drifting to the email that still remained trapped in her spam folder.

…

…

_**May 22, 2004:**_

…

Shane took a deep breath. The air that greeted him was rich and thick.

Twigs snapped beneath his feet as he treaded deeper and further into the woods.

"This is crazy," he muttered to himself.

He looked up and watched as the sunlight bobbed and weaved between the trees.

The woods were quiet, and he found the sound comforting.

For the first time in a long time he finally felt a semblance of peace.

He took careful steps, as he journeyed further and deeper into the heart of the woods. The silence allowed him to bask in the sounds of nature.

It had been forever, since he had heard nothing but silence. It was a nice feeling, like being wrapped in a warm soft blanket. It made him feel safe.

Shane stopped walking and did a quick sweep of the area. He let his eyes roam his surroundings.

It still looked the same.

To anyone else the scenery might have seemed charming, majestic, and maybe even pretty. But to Shane, it looked grim; to him it was a depiction of the end of the world, or at least, the end of his world – the end of Skyla's world.

For this was the last thing that Skyla had seen. This was where Skyla had taken her last breath.

Shane sighed and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. Why did I come here? He asked himself. How could visiting this place, possibly help me?

But he knew why he had come.

He had needed to make his peace with Skyla. After all, it wasn't normal to dream torturous dreams of the dead.

Shane took a deep breath, "You'll always be a part of me," he whispered. "I'll never forget you, but I need to let you go."

He stared into the depths of the forest and sighed.

He had made his peace.

Hopefully now he would be able to move on.

…

*** **Please Review *****

THEY WARM MY HEART.


	9. June 2004

**A/N: **I'm back. Special Thanks to: MarahLuvsDustin, TheBigBadReviewer, ToriandBlake4Eva, SuperflyButterfly, Reader, Moochy Moo Moo, passerby, prnsfanatic, xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx, and Misterss Tena for your kind reviews.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing … except the plot that I'm orchestrating.

…

_**June 12, 2004:**_

…

"How could you have been so stupid?" Cam scolded himself, quietly. The need to feel closer to his mother had blinded him. He had been so desperate for a familial connection with Marah and Kapri that he had refused to see the _bad_ in them.

Maybe I should have listened to Hunter, he thought sadly. Maybe keeping them away from the academy was what was for the best.

The look on his father's face had haunted him. It chilled him to the bone. But why was his father so worried? Cam thought to himself, discomforted. What did they do?

…

Sensing eyes on her, Kapri turned around.

Cam quickly ducked behind a tree.

Marah tensed and followed her sister's gaze. "Is something wrong?"

Kapri furrowed her eyebrows, but shook her head, "No. I just felt like…"

Marah arched an eyebrow, as Kapri trailed off, "What?"

"Nothing," Kapri dismissed, with the shake of her head. "It's nothing."

…

"That was close," Cam muttered; his back was pressed firmly against the trunk of the tree. He peeled himself off of it, and opened the notepad that he had brought with him.

Tracking their activities was bound to come in handy at some point, he convinced himself, as the familiar sense of betrayal crept upon him. If they're up to something, there's bound to be some sort of pattern that will lead me to their chaos, he ensured mentally.

The pen shook violently in his hand; abusing the notepad. He quickly scribbled his findings.

Cam closed the notepad and stuck it into his shirt pocket.

He poked his head out from behind the trunk of the tree, but to his horror, Kapri and Marah had disappeared.

…

Cam cursed silently, as his eyes scanned the spot where his cousins had previously stood.

Disappointed with himself, he spun around, yelped and froze in his tracks.

"S'up Cam?" Marah asked as she stared him down in wonder.

Cam flushed a bismol color.

Kapri narrowed her eyes at him, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he croaked, despite himself.

Marah eyed him with wide eyes, "Really?"

Kapri pointed to the notepad that was stuffed in his shirt pocket, "what's that?"

"Nothing," Cam replied quickly.

The girls eyed him with baffled expressions.

Cam cursed his incognito skills. Play it cool, he lectured himself.

His body betrayed him, and his hands shook like a leaf.

"Are you feeling alright?" Kapri asked.

Marah took a few steps back, "Oh no! He's not sick, is he? I can't get sick again."

"I'm not sick," Cam assured.

"Then why are you so nervous Cam?" Kapri grilled. "Why are you all the way out here, taking notes?"

Cam blanched.

"I saw you scribbling away earlier," Kapri informed.

Cam sighed and laughed nervously, "I'm doing research."

"Research?" Marah said, though she sounded unconvinced.

"Yeah," Cam insisted. "I'm looking for a ground base for the Stealth Knights," he replied, with as much conviction that he could muster. Though that statement wasn't really a lie, he reminded himself. A ground base was needed to contain the clay fighters. He just hadn't found one yet.

"Really?" Kapri asked, though she did seem to buy his story.

"Wouldn't it make more sense to hide them under the _main_ grounds," Marah asked.

Cam arched an eyebrow. It still amazed him sometimes when Marah had her moments of genius.

"That's actually a great idea," Cam stated, nodding with approval.

Marah beamed, "Thanks. Glad to help."

Cam smiled.

"I mean, isn't that what _family_ is for," Marah laughed.

Kapri nodded and grinned.

Cam plastered a big fake smile on his face, but inside his heart was breaking.

...

…

_**June 19, 2004:**_

¸.·´¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)  
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´ ¸¸.·¨¯`·.

Shane chased the orb of light that danced overhead of him.

His feet screamed as he pushed himself harder, refusing to hold him up.

But he didn't care; he ambled on, working through the pain.

His feet were blistered, he could feel it. They burned and ached, and he realized for the first time that he was barefoot.

He ignored the pain, and kept on running. His hands flailed about him like trees jutting into the sky, with their leaves rustling in the wind.

Shane's hands snatched at the air in a pleading gesture.

He could feel the blood spurting between his toes now; sliced by rocks that littered the ground. His muscles were burning, and his feet blazed as the blood and dirt from the ground infected his wounds.

"Not this time," Shane screamed as he shot his hands upward desperately, trying to summon the powers of air.

Nothing happened.

Shane stared numbly at his hands. Why the hell didn't it work?

Shane tried again; trying harder to concentrate this time.

The orb of light flew further away from him.

"Wait," Shane cried. "Come back!"

But he was yelling into the darkness now.

Shane let a strangle scream erupt from his throat.

¸.·´¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)  
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´ ¸¸.·¨¯`·.

"Nnnnnooooooo!" Shane screamed.

He looked around disoriented and found himself clutching tightly on to his sheets.

The room was silent, and dark.

He took comfort in that.

There was no light.

And no light meant _no_ Skyla.

Skyla, Shane sighed as his mind flickered back to his nightmare.

_Skyla_.

Skyla in her heart pounding, all consuming, and mind destroying glory.

…

…

_**June 28, 2004:**_

…

"Hey Cam!"

Cam who had just entered Storm Charger's, whipped his head around, looking like a meerkat scanning for predators. He nearly swallowed his heart, and as always his face flushed like a rose.

Kelly approached him cautiously with a magazine in hand, while wearing an expression that was hard to place. Her forehead creased with worry, and her nose was wrinkled in a cute manner. Well, he at least thought that it was cute.

He immediately realized that Kelly was torn up about something.

Panic washed over him, "what's wrong," he asked feverishly.

"It's not a matter of right or wrong," she sighed, "but rather a predicament of being trapped in a battle of loyalties."

Cam blanked, "hunh?"

Kelly handed him the new edition of Sports Illustrated.

Cam grinned, "Kel! This is amazing."

Kelly's face scrunched warily.

"It's … not… amazing?" Cam stammered.

"It is," Kelly frayed, "but…"

"But what?" Cam asked confused.

"Help me hide them from Tori," Kelly pleaded.

"Wait?" Cam looked at her agape, "What!"

She fidgeted in her spot, obviously discomforted.

"Kel," Cam reasoned. "Tori would probably be," he paused, "no," he corrected, "she _would_ be the happiest for him, out of _all_ of us."

"Just trust me Cam," Kelly begged. "I'm happy for Blake. Really I am! But Tori can't see this."

"So what?" Cam asked, "Are you planning on hiding these every time Tori comes into your store."

"Yes," Kelly stated, palpably.

"Kelly that's insane," Cam fretted.

She pouted and her face coloured with hurt.

Cam mentally kicked himself. Damn it Cam, he cursed.

"She'll probably see this somewhere else," Cam placated.

Kelly's mood didn't lighten.

Cam grimaced. He hated that look. He'd go to war to erase that look.

"Oh alright," he conceded.

Kelly brightened immediately, "thanks Cam," she beamed. "You're a doll."

…

Tori did a double take at the magazine that stood before her. She picked it up and held it carefully in her hands.

Blake! Tori smiled inwardly.

Marah appeared again, having returned from a perfume store.

"Ready?" she asked. Her eyes finally fell onto the magazine Tori had clutched between her fingers.

"Is that Blake?" Marah gasped. "Oh my god! He made the cover of Sports Illustrated!"

Tori grinned, "Yeah. I guess he did."

Marah squeezed her shoulder softly, "are you alright?"

"Yeah," Tori breathed, as she put the magazine back on to the rack, "I'm happy for him."

Marah smiled lightly.

Tori turned to look at her, "You ready to go?"

"Whenever you are?" Marah giggled.

Tori smiled and followed Marah out of the mall.

As they headed to her van, Marah began chatting amiably about something fashion related.

Tori couldn't concentrate and tuned Marah out; her mind filled with thoughts of Blake.

He's famous now, Tori realized as she reached her van. For him there was probably no going back now. I'll probably always be a distant memory. Something from a life that was better left in the past. All he could look forward to was the future, and the success he would gain in it.

…

***** Please Review *****


	10. July 2004

**A/N: **Thanks to those of you who reviewed. It is much appreeshed!

**Disclaimer: **I wish I owned Power Rangers, but I don't.

…

_**July 4, 2004:**_

…

"Blake sends his best," Hunter informed as he joined his friends on the beach.

"He's not coming?" Dustin whined. "Aww man!"

Shane swatted Dustin's hat of his head, "you still got us, dude."

Dustin made a strangled noise. One that caused Kelly to choke on her drink and laugh. "Dude," Kelly teased, "You got something lodged in your throat?"

Dustin made a face at Kelly.

"I invited Leanne and Gina," Hunter explained, while looking at Shane and Cam. "I hope that's okay? They didn't have family to hang with today."

Cam nudged his head, to signify the start of a private conversation, but Kelly beat him to the punch.

"Who's Leanne and Gina?" Kelly asked.

"Leanne is a family friend," Hunter explained.

Shane arched an eyebrow, realizing Hunter had covered his tracks.

"And Gina is a friend of Leanne's," Hunter finished. That wasn't a complete lie, he stated inwardly. He had known Leanne since they were kids, and Gina was technically her friend, given that she worked at the Thunder Academy. Mind you, she was his secretary, but again, this wasn't something Kelly needed to know. He had prepped both Leanne and Gina about ninja secrecy, letting them know ahead of time that a non-ninja would be present at the festivities.

"So they're not one of your skanks?" Kelly pressed.

Shane choked on his beer and grinned. As expected, Hunter looked as if he'd been slapped. For Shane knew that Hunter would never think of Leanne that way, she was more a sister to him as Blake was his brother.

"No," Hunter assured, fazed.

Kelly shrugged, "just checking."

…

"When did you learn to cook?" Tori asked.

Kapri looked up from the bowls of milk and flour that she was separating. "When I was ten? Maybe eleven?"

Tori smirked, "why the eagerness."

"Either find something to be useful at or be killed," Kapri grinned.

Tori eyed her with wide blue eyes, "What?"

"Lothor liked my cooking," Kapri explained. "So he spared me."

Tori laughed despite herself.

Kapri merely arched an eyebrow. She didn't laugh.

Tori sobered immediately. She wasn't kidding.

…

"Finished" Dustin beamed, as he and Cam took a step away from their masterpiece.

Everyone had decided to spend the day at the beach.

In the distance the sun began to disappear behind the horizon, and the sky started to darken.

"I say we finished just in time," Cam noted.

Marah ran up to him draped in a towel. Her hair still clung to her face, signifying the time she had spent in the water.

"Have fun ducky?" Cam asked.

"You're finished!" Marah squealed happily, as she took note of the campfire. Her teeth chattered nosily.

Dustin frowned, "You're freezing," he took a step towards her, but Marah quickly took two steps back.

"I'm fine," she dismissed quickly. "I just need to change my cloths," she then took off into a full sprint towards the house.

…

"They're hot," Kapri warned. Hunter ignored her, and stuck the jalapeño popper into his mouth.

Kapri rolled her eyes, but smirked.

As expected, Hunter spat the popper out of his mouth. "Why _didn't_ you tell me they were hot!"

Gina shook her head as she watched them bicker. She had gotten use to their quarrels - and during Kapri's stay at the Thunder Academy - had even been privy to front row seats to their public screamfest's from time to time.

"I _did_ tell you they were hot," Kapri shotback.

"Well you didn't _clarify_," Hunter fumed. "I thought you meant taste bud hot! As in: hot and spicy. Not _'fiery-scorch-my-tongue-till-its-no-longer-useful'_ hot."

"Oh sweetie," Kapri scoffed, "the buses don't go where you live, do they?"

Hunter narrowed his eyes at her and walked away.

…

Marah returned from the beach house with bags of marshmallows.

Leanne and Kelly laughed and helped her carry some.

"Are you guys bulking up for winter?" Shane teased.

"Ha. Ha." Leanne replied sarcastically.

Shane grinned, taking a few steps towards her, "here," he offered as he held out his hands, "let me help."

Leanne leaned towards him, and let him lighten her load.

"Why all the marshmallows, dudes?" Dustin asked. He approached them with wiener roast sticks.

"We're gonna roast _marshmallows_," Kelly revealed.

"No," Dustin corrected, "We're roasting _hot dogs_."

"Oh, we can do both you guys," Cam settled, playing the peacemaker as usual.

…

"You got it?" Shane asked as he watched Hunter set up the fireworks.

"Yeah," Hunter replied, "I'm good. Just stand back."

Shane did as told, and headed towards the spot where everyone else sat.

They had all gotten blankets and lounge chairs, and had managed to cluster them around the camp fire.

"…3…" Hunter paced, "…2…1…"

As expected, fireworks upon fireworks upon fireworks coloured the sky.

Shane lost himself in the red, blue, yellow, orange, pink, green, and purple sparks.

The beauty of it left him speechless.

The same way Skyla had when she had sparkled into his life.

…

…

_**July 17, 2004:**_

…

"You can't blame me _this_ time," Kapri told Marah, even though the situation pretty much spoke for itself.

Marah groaned miserably, "Kapri?" she muttered. Kapri arched an eyebrow and faced her.

"Shut up!" Marah vexed.

"Don't bitch at me," Kapri warned, "This is what you get for running outside with wet hair in the cold weather."

"Thanks for the newsflash, mom," Marah muttered, as she rolled over in bed. She winced and immediately regretted the action. Her head felt as though it were about to burst. A surge of violent pain suddenly shot through her.

"Holy Shi-Aaagggghhhhaaaahhhhh!" Marah screamed.

Kapri was at her side immediately. "Marah?" she panicked, trying her best to calm her.

Marah continued to wail.

"What's wrong?" Kapri demanded helplessly, "Marah?"

Her sister's eyes suddenly went vacant.

Kapri paled, "Mar-"

"Sssshtssssessss Ssssbasssssysssssssss," Marah hissed suddenly; eyes glazed. Kapri took a step back alarmed. "Ssssewssss ssssumsssstsssss ssssrfsssseessss ssssehssssrssss ssssrfssssmossss sssshtssssessss ssssbasssssysssssssss!"

"What the hell?" Kapri perplexed. She grabbed Marah and shook her violently.

"Sssshtssssessss Ssssbasssssysssssssss," Marah hissed again.

"Snap out of it!" Kapri cried.

"Ssssewssss"

"This isn't funny!"

"ssssumsssstsssss"

"Stop it!" Kapri sobbed frantically.

ssssrfsssseess-" Marah blinked suddenly and her trancelike recitation seized. She looked up at Kapri, whom of which still had Marah clutched tightly in her arms, confused.

"Wha-…what happened," Marah asked breathlessly.

Kapri could only manage to stare back at her, agape.

…

…

_**July 21, 2004:**_

…

"This is all your fault!" Kapri fumed.

"No its not!" Marah pouted. "I don't understand what's going on, but it's not my fault!"

Kapri opened her mouth to retort, but then snapped it shut, as nausea overwhelmed her. Her stomach felt as though it was about to jump out her throat and her heart thumped frantically – filled with terror. The latter bit confused her, because she had nothing to be scared about. So why did she feel like screaming? Why did she feel like she had done something wrong?

The feeling of dread intensified in the pit of her stomach, and then a sudden wave of guilt washed over her. The power of it left her numb. In a weird way, it felt worse. Like dancing on top of someone's grave while drunk, then remembering about it the following day when you were sober. It was unjustifiable and just plain crazy. What the hell is wrong with me, Kapri groaned silently.

"Maybe we should tell Cam," Marah suggested quietly.

Kapri met her gaze and shook her head, "no."

"But Kap," Marah reasoned, "He should-"

"No," Kapri interrupted. "There's no reason to alarm him." Well that wasn't exactly the whole truth. She had noticed Sensei's change in behaviour after his inquiry about their health. He acted aloof around them, and she found it suspicious. It was almost like Sensei had found their illness troubling. But how could a common cold be troubling? Weren't aliens allowed to get sick?

We aren't immune to viruses, Kapri mused to herself. Aliens got sick just like humans did. And since when was it a crime to get sick? Sensei was acting as though they had ventured over to the dark side. It was obvious to her that he had Cam running around keeping tabs on them; though she would never voice this suspicion to Marah.

As much as Marah annoyed her, she was still her sister. And that meant she loved her. Knowing about Sensei and Cam's lack of trust in her would crush her. And she would be damned, if she let that happen.

She was after all Marah's big sister. Protecting her sister from harm would always be her job, which is why she didn't tell Marah about her moment of insanity during her illness. Marah's hissing frenzy had scared the crap out of her.

"But Kapri," Marah tried again, snapping Kapri out of her reverie. "Maybe if we told Cam, he-"

"I said _no_, Marah," Kapri instructed.

"Why not?" Marah demanded.

"Because," Kapri explained. "I would just like to deal with things as they come."

"Hunh?"

"It's like when you know that you're dying," Kapri explained.

Marah gasped, "We're dying!"

"No," Kapri droned. "It's an analogy! Let me finish."

Marah frowned.

"So, say you're dying," Kapri continued, "but you don't know this, and you feel fine. All is right with the world."

"Okay…" Marah followed.

"But the moment you learn of your ailment," Kapri reasoned, "You start to feel sick; mind over matter, if you will."

Marah furrowed her eyebrows.

"I'll become paranoid as hell," Kapri summed up, "So, if I'm dying, I would prefer it, if I didn't know."

Marah rolled her eyes, "Kapri! You're insane! That doesn't make any sense!"

"You are _not_ to tell Cam," Kapri commanded.

Marah grimaced, but conceded, "Fine."

"Promise?" Kapri ensured.

"Yes," Marah promised.

"Cross your heart and hope to die?" Kapri asked.

"I promise," Marah swore.

"Stick a needle in your eye?" Kapri pressed.

"I promise," Marah insisted.

"Boil in oil until you fry?" Kapri continued.

Marah huffed, "Kapri?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up!" Marah yelled.

"But do you-"

"I promise!" Marah exclaimed.

…

…

_**July 31, 2004:**_

…

"It seems so far," Blake whispered in awe, "yet so close."

The object of which he spoke of, lingered above him in the midnight sky.

The moon had always fascinated him; there were moments in which he found, that if he stared hard enough, he could almost visualize a human face.

When he was younger, the face he saw would alternate between his mother and his father's.

However, recently, he found himself finding Tori's face, beaming down at him instead.

Blake sighed, and with a covert twinge realized that in exactly a week from today, would be Tori's birthday.

But Tori had never responded to his email. She hadn't even responded to ones that had followed.

Blake exhaled loudly, lost in thought.

"She isn't speaking to me anymore," he whispered in a broken voice. He kicked a blade of grass and frowned.

If she isn't speaking to me, Blake mused mentally, then she must not want me there.

So, come next week, he wouldn't be there.

…

***** Please Review *****


	11. August 2004

**A/N: **Thanks to all of you who reviewed.

**Disclaimer: **You know what's mine, and what's not.

…

_**August 9, 2004:**_

…

"I didn't mean anything by it," Marah insisted, her eyes welling with tears.

Hunter's anger electrified him, like a current running down his nerves.

"Easy Hunter," Cam steadied; he put a hand on Hunter's shoulder in an attempt to calm him.

Dustin took the opportunity to position himself between Hunter and Marah. Marah didn't even seem to notice him, an action which Dustin found himself growing more and more frustrated with.

"Then why the hell did you say it," Hunter fumed. The events of the day had finally reached its breaking point. Unlucky for Marah, she had turned out to be the spark that set him off. First, Blake had ignored his calls for weeks. Then, Tori's behaviour as of late had cast him into a sea of fear and confusion. As much as he loved his brother, he was starting to suspect the worst.

And that, Hunter realized, was a sad commentary in and of itself.

Blake was his brother.

His brother!

How could he ever think, that Blake, was capable of such things?

But Blake and Tori's avoidance of each other had become stifling.

Hunter clenched his fists. The electrical charge he felt pass threw him intensified.

Kapri appeared out of nowhere and sidestepped Dustin. She got in Hunter's face, "back off."

The electricity he felt coursing through his veins, died instantly upon her arrival, but it was suddenly replaced by something even worse.

Rage.

…

Kelly winced and turned her head away from the drama.

She had suspected that Hunter had been holding onto something. She had watched in fear, for the past week, as it slowly built inside of him. Everyone had noticed it. He was like a ticking-time-bomb ready to go off.

The only problem was - no one had known what had been bothering him.

However, it had all become crystal clear tonight.

Tonight, Kelly sighed. She turned to look at Tori.

Tori, whom of which, had bolted to her room the moment the fighting began.

Kelly let another sigh escape her, as she journeyed off of Tori's balcony and back into her guilt ridden friend's room.

"Some birthday, hunh?" Kelly noted, sympathetically.

"It's all my fault," Tori exclaimed. "But I can't go back out there," she cried. "Hunter is going to hate me for chasing Blake away."

"Hunter could _never _hate you," Kelly reasoned. "Tori," she calmed as she petted Tori's hair, "Hunter care's about you. You're his friend."

Tori sulked.

"And you didn't chase Blake away," Kelly reminded. "He left of his own accord."

…

Marah flinched, as Hunter yelled sharply at Kapri. How her sister managed to hold her own against him, was a mystery that she would probably never be able to decipher.

"I know what she said," Kapri shotback. "But it was just a comment. It didn't _mean_ anything."

"I'm sorry," Marah apologized. She could have sworn Kapri inhaled sharply when she did this, but she had to do _something_. It wasn't fair for her sister to take all of the heat. This was her mistake.

"You're sorry," Hunter mocked.

Dustin winced despite himself.

Marah cowered slightly.

Hunter turned on Kapri again, "You obviously didn't do a good job teaching your sister about manners."

Kapri became scary calm. Cam cringed slightly. Kapri was a lot of things. But scary, she was not. The look on her face made his feet go numb.

To his surprise his cousin smirked.

Shane recoiled, Uh oh! He thought to himself, this doesn't look good.

"Is that why you've deemed Blake a _rapist_?" Kapri seethed.

Marah's jaw dropped. Too far Kapri, she screamed in silent horror. Too far!

Hunter paled.

"My parenting skills may be questionable, but I take full responsibility for what Marah does," Kapri continued. "I know my sister. I know what she's capable of. But she's never done anything to make me question the ways that I've influenced her."

Hunter became a disturbing sort of quiet.

"I can sleep peacefully at night, knowing that I've done the best that I could," she said lightly, challenging him with a look, "Can you?"

…

Tori finally ran outside.

The beach had been bursting with joy moments earlier, how had everything gone to hell so quickly?

She arrived just in time to watch Shane pull Hunter away. The boys wandered off towards the end of the beach, and sat down on the sand.

Tori took a step forward, to go after them, but Dustin appeared at her side. "He needs to be alone right now," Dustin whispered.

Tori whipped her head up to look up at him. Dustin smiled weakly at her, "Sorry about your birthday, Tor."

"It's okay," Tori dismissed lightly, "Believe it or not. I expected it to be _much_ worse."

…

Kapri took a few calming breaths. Had she really just done that? The ordeal had seemed like a horrible out of body experience. The sudden vindictiveness had come from a place she had no idea existed within her. Lothor would have sure loved to have seen that side. Heck, the old bastard probably would have been proud.

"Where did _that_ come from?" Marah whispered, quietly.

Kapri shook her head wordlessly. Her throat felt dry.

Cam stood next to them quietly; watching them curiously.

"You must hate me," Kapri noted, fearfully.

The look on Cam's face was hard to place. "I believe Hunter is the one that hates you," he corrected. "I'm just _surprised_," Cam revealed. "I'm with Marah on this one. Where did _that_ come from?"

Kapri bit her lip and buried her head in her hands.

…

"Figures that you'd take their side," Hunter muttered, betrayed.

Shane sighed, "I'm _not_ taking sides."

Hunter turned to look at him and arched an eyebrow.

"I'm _not_," Shane insisted. "But dude, you did start it. I get that you're still pissed about them working with Lothor, but Marah merely made a comment that Tori was bummed about Blake not showing up. She didn't do anything spiteful. You acted like she made it seem like Blake deliberately decided not to show."

Hunter ran his hands through his hair so roughly, that for a split second Shane thought that he would try to yank his dirty blonde locks from his head.

"As for Kapri," Shane reasoned, "you attacked her parenting skills. You should know better than anyone else what that would have done to her. Granted she shouldn't have gone total psycho bitch on you, which by the way, I'm theorizing was the work of a demon of some sort, because that was _so_ out of character for her. I mean, the girl has done some messed up things, but you saw the _look_ on her face…"

Hunter shivered despite himself, at the recollection of the said memory. It was like staring at someone else. She looked like Kapri, sounded like Kapri, but the way that she had carried herself, was… well to be quite honest _creepy_.

Sure he and Kapri had had their share of fights, but she had never struck him where it would really hurt; where it would really _matter_.

"I say me, you, Cam and Dustin tie her up and perform an exorcism," Shane enlightened with a light laugh.

Hunter smirked, "Oh you'd like that wouldn't you," he stated suggestively. "Though I'm guessing you'd be performing anything but an exorcism on her."

Shane chuckled, "I'm appalled at what you're suggesting man," he joked.

Hunter smiled, but then pursed his lips in thought, "about that…"

"What?" Shane asked, confused.

"I was just thinking," Hunter explained, "that when Kapri and Marah arrived and surrendered themselves…"

"Yeah?" Shane followed.

"Why is it that you just, I don't know," Hunter questioned, "accepted them?"

"Because," Shane explained, "I um…well you see it's like…"

Hunter furrowed his eyebrows at him.

"This might seem sort of _sick_ to you," Shane warned.

Hunter eyed him cautiously, "Okay?"

"Do you remember Skyla?" Shane asked.

Hunter nodded slowly, "the karmanian chick that gave you her powers?"

Shane nodded uncomfortably. Well that was one way to put it, he thought sadly. "Yeah."

Hunter looked at him expectantly.

"I um… I sort of … you know," he stammered, "Developed a _thing _for her."

"You _fell_ for her?" Hunter asked incredulously.

Shane nodded. "Yeah," he confirmed in a small voice.

Hunter gazed at him sympathetically.

"She was something, man," Shane smiled, "she was _special_."

"I'm sorry," Hunter consoled.

Shane shrugged, "You asked me about Marah and Kapri."

Hunter nodded again, silently.

"Skyla didn't_ look_ like the typical aliens we've encountered," Shane breathed, "She was beautiful."

Hunter watched as Shane's face lit up as he spoke about her.

"So, I don't know," Shane mused, "It's weird. But for some strange reason I feel closer to Skyla when I'm around them."

Hunter furrowed his eyebrows at Shane.

"They remind me of her," Shane continued. "I think it's because they look _so_ human. The way that Skyla did…"

Hunter frowned, "Dude," he began cautiously, "You can't replace one _alien_ with another."

Shane smirked at his choice of words. After a brief moment of silence, he sighed.

Hunter watched him cautiously.

"It feels like it was just yesterday," Shane stated with a shaky breath, "it's hard to believe that it's already been a year."

Hunter arched an eyebrow, "What?"

"It was one year ago today, that Skyla died," Shane revealed.

Hunter paled, "Shane I-"

Shane raised a hand and silenced him. "Do me a favour?" Shane asked.

Hunter looked at him apprehensively, how could he deny him something now? "What?"

"Apologize to Kapri and Marah?" Shane suggested.

Hunter made a face, "Shane!"

Shane's expression was beseeching.

Hunter huffed, "only if they apologize _first_."

…

Tori and Dustin made their way into the girls' beach house, and found Cam, Kelly, Marah, and Kapri seated in the living room.

Kapri got up immediately, "Tori, I am _so_ sorry about your birthday."

"It's not your fault," Tori replied, with the wave of her hand. "This was bound to happen sooner than later."

Footsteps echoing in the hallway suddenly caused everyone to stare at the archway. Shane waved lightly, as he and Hunter came through it.

"Some night," Shane greeted.

Hunter looked at Tori with a pained expression, "I'm sorry Tor."

Tori smiled at him, "It wasn't your fault," she insisted. She turned to look at everyone, "it was no one's fault. Tonight was just a misunderstanding. Things just spiralled way outta control."

Kelly smiled, "There's still cake in the kitchen," she stated brightly.

"I could go for some cake," Dustin blurted quickly.

Everyone laughed.

"Come on," Kelly urged, as she and Dustin disappeared into the kitchen.

"I think I'm gonna turn in," Tori announced, "I've got an early class to teach in the morning," she added quickly, after seeing the looks on friends faces darken.

Tori said her goodnights and retreated to her room.

Marah sighed loudly and tried to blend into the couch.

Cam shot an insisting look at Kapri.

"Wanna take off?" Hunter asked, as he turned to stare at Shane. Shane nodded, and rubbed his eyes.

Shane began to wave his goodbyes, while Hunter bolted for the door.

Kapri sighed, "Hunter. Wait."

Hunter froze in his tracks, and turned to look at her guardedly.

"I," Kapri began to fidget. "I…about what I said earlier," she stammered.

He narrowed his eyes at her.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. Hunter could tell that it pained her to say it, but the apology sounded genuine nonetheless.

"I shouldn't have said those things," she continued. It was evident that she was uncomfortable, and it seemed like she was about to ramble.

Shane met Hunter's gaze and arched his eyebrow suggestively.

Crap, Hunter muttered to himself mentally, remembering his bargain with Shane. He hadn't thought that Kapri would ever apologize.

Hunter frowned, "I'm sorry too," he conceded.

Kapri went rigid with shock.

Hunter turned to look at Marah. Marah quickly averted her eyes from his and fixated her gaze on the lifeless television.

"And I'm sorry to you too," Hunter apologized.

Marah turned to look at him, and nodded her head wordlessly.

"Bye Cam," Hunter waved.

Cam waved and the group watched as Hunter left the room.

Cam turned to look at Shane, "_What_ did you do?"

Shane simply smiled and shrugged.

Kapri smiled at him weakly, "thank you," she expressed gratuitously.

Marah beamed at him brightly.

"No prob," Shane smirked, "Don't say I didn't do you any favours."

Marah laughed lightly, "kay."

…

…

_**August 21, 2004:**_

…

"We should do something nice for Shane," Marah stated suddenly.

Kapri stopped stretching, and turned to look at her sister, "What did you have in mind?"

"I don't know," Marah admitted. "But we should do _something_. I mean, Shane is such a doll. He's always got our backs. We should pay him back, you know?"

Kapri nodded, "but _what_ can we do?"

…

"I've been busy," Blake insisted.

Hunter frowned, "Don't pull that shit with me. I know when you're lying you little jerk!"

Blake made a noise in protest.

"I've been calling you for _weeks_," Hunter lectured. "You've been deliberately ignoring me."

"I lost my phone," Blake lied.

Hunter scoffed.

"I _did_," Blake insisted.

Hunter laughed, "I just opened my front door. Guess what I see? Your _nose_? Keep lying Blake! I'm pretty sure it'll reach Africa by sun down."

Blake huffed, "Hunter…"

"No!" Hunter silenced. "That was a real dick move. How could you miss Tori's birthday!"

"I don't have time for this," Blake muttered.

"Blake, you need to-"

"I'm hanging up now," Blake interrupted.

"Bla-"

"Bye!"

_Click._

Hunter stared at the phone dumbfounded.

_-"I can sleep peacefully at night, knowing that I've done the best that I could. "Can you?"-_

Maybe Kapri was right, Hunter thought sadly. Maybe his influence over Blake was why Blake acted the way that he did; an eye for an eye. Hunter acknowledged that he acted like a jerk all the time. But he never treated the people that _mattered_ disrespectfully. Surely Blake would have known the difference. Was all of this _his_ fault? Was Blake just channelling his big brother's inner jackass.

…

…

_**August 28, 2004:**_

…

"He was in love with a karmanian?" Marah repeated incredulously.

Tori nodded, "That's how he got his battlizer.

Kapri spun around and did a double take, "Come again?"

Marah echoed Kapri's confusion, and dropped what she was doing.

"I don't know how it works," Tori stated airily. "Shane told us what happened after she died."

"And what did Shane say?" Marah asked baffled.

"That she died, and her energy transferred itself into his morpher," Tori explained.

Kapri's eyes danced in shock, as realization hit her.

Marah seemed to mirror her thoughts, for she added, "But that's not what's su-"

Kapri clasped a hand over Marah's mouth before Tori could notice. Marah's eyes widened and she flashed Kapri a puzzled look.

Tori turned to look at them. Kapri quickly retracted her hand away from Marah's mouth.

"Oh my god! Look at the time," Kapri stated suddenly, "we gotta go Tor," she added, while motioning to herself and Marah.

Tori narrowed her eyes at her, "Now?"

"Yeah," Kapri insisted, "I'm _so_ sorry Tori."

Tori shrugged, "Okay…" she replied perplexed.

"Come on Marah," Kapri urged, "We're going to be _late_ for that _thing_."

"Late?" Marah whispered feverishly, once they were out of earshot. "What _thing_?"

…

***** Please Review *****


	12. September 2004

**A/N: **Thanks a million to everyone who re-reviewed. It really touched my heart, to see that you all cared about my story so much, that you helped me get my review count back up. That was so sweet of you all. Thank you.

Also, thank you to those of you who: re-story alerted, re-favourite, etc. It is much appreciated, and it means a lot.

**Disclaimer: **I wish I owned Power Rangers, but I don't.

…

_**September 5, 2004:**_

…

Kapri held her breath, and slowly pushed open the heavy wooden doors that stood before her. Poking her head in through the barely open door, she let out the breath she had been holding in.

"The coast is clear," Kapri whispered.

Marah, who had been fidgeting nervously behind her, expressed one last plea, "This is wrong! We shouldn't be here."

Kapri silently rolled her eyes, and ignored her. She pushed the doors open further, and tiptoed quietly into the library.

Marah shot cautious glances down the corridor, before following Kapri into the library.

The library was dark, deserted, and quiet; so much so, that the simple flip of a page would sound deafening.

It took Marah a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the darkness.

The faint moonlight spilling in from the long windows, hit Kapri as she crept quietly; her figure casted long shadows that seemed to dance among the room when she moved.

"Kapri," Marah whispered frantically into the darkness. She watched as her sister's faint outline, disappeared behind a shelf towards the far end of the library.

Marah silently chased after her.

Though it was dark, Marah couldn't help but notice how clean the library was. Like any other library - the place was filled with books. The shelves were crammed with volumes that taught of fighting techniques and practices. There were books that foretold of legends and folklores, and sections that concerned itself with ninja magic. However, where most libraries' had dust settled upon their books, the library of the academy was neat as a pin.

Kapri finally came to a slow stop. The sign overhead caused Marah to panic.

"Nuh uh! No way," Marah cowered.

"Come off it, Marah," Kapri droned.

"We're going to get in so much trouble if we're caught," Marah reasoned. "Why would you want to risk that?"

"We won't get caught," Kapri assured, in a harsh whisper. "Now get cracking," she ordered, as she disappeared into the forbidden aisle.

Marah frowned, but she shot one last cautious glance over her shoulder, before disappearing into _the restricted section_.

…

…

_**September 18, 2004:**_

…

"Maybe _you_ should call him," Marah suggested, while playing with one of Cam's samurai swords.

Tori turned her attention away from Kapri, whom of which, was currently immersed in a notebook filled with notes.

Tori narrowed her eyes at Marah. She had to admit, that for a girl with no prior knowledge of samurai technique, Marah sure knew how to wield a sword.

"I _can't_ call him," Tori sighed.

"Can't or _won't_" Kapri muttered from behind her notebook.

Tori frowned, "won't."

"But you guys _kissed_!" Marah reminded, heatedly.

Tori opened her mouth to retort, but was silenced by Hunter's veiled presence.

"You guys did _what_?"

Kapri dropped her notebook and met Marah's panicked face. They exchanged silent looks while Tori turned to look at Hunter, embarrassed.

…

"We'll just leave you two to…talk," Marah excused, as she and Kapri bolted from the lounge.

Tori shot them an apprehensive look as they left.

She turned to face Hunter, clearly discomfited.

"So?" Hunter began, when it became obvious to him that Tori wasn't going to explain. "Did Blake _hurt_ you?"

Tori blinked. She sure hadn't been expecting that. "No," Tori defended. "It wasn't like that!"

Hunter blushed; the color looked foreign on him. "Well can you _blame_ me? The way that you two have been acting lately…"

Tori sighed, "Sorry," she apologized.

Hunter stuffed his hands into his pockets, "So…you guys _kissed_…"

"Yeah," Tori informed nervously. "We did."

…

"Hey!" Cam greeted as he ran into Kapri and Marah. The duo in question seemed to be running away from something.

"Oh?" Marah greeted, "hi Cam."

"I wouldn't go in there if I were you," Kapri informed, while pointing towards the lounge.

"Why?" Cam asked confused.

"Tori and Hunter are having _the talk_," Marah enlightened.

Cam blanked, "_What_?"

Marah arched an eyebrow, "what?"

Kapri fought a smirk.

"I-I…I don't understand," Cam stammered. Weren't they both too old for _the talk_? And who was teaching whom.

Kapri laughed, unable to hold back any longer. "Wow!" she exclaimed, her eyes watering.

Cam looked at her confused.

"They're talking about _Blake_, Cam," Kapri informed. "Not about the _birds and the bees_."

Cam blushed despite himself, while Marah turned to look at him stunned.

"I should really learn how to phrase things better, hunh?" Marah asked, while turning to Kapri.

Kapri grinned, "Ya think?"

…

"I'm going to have a serious talk with that boy," Hunter scowled.

Tori's eyes widened in alarm, "No!" she begged, "Please Hunter! Don't do that."

"Why not," Hunter digressed, "I'm his big brother. It's my job to kick his ass over these things."

Tori smiled, "thanks. But I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

Hunter sighed, "Fine," he conceded. "But let me know if you change your mind."

"Okay," Tori giggled, "will do."

…

"It's just weird," Cam explained. "The library is usually protected by old ninja spells. I don't understand how those books could have gotten out of the restricted section."

Marah's eyes darted to the floor. She refused to make eye contact with Cam.

"That's _so_ strange," Kapri agreed.

Marah glowered. How could Kapri lie without hesitation? This whole thing was wrong.

"So you didn't hear any students say anything?" Cam pressed.

"Sorry," Kapri shrugged. "No one's said anything."

Cam turned his attention towards Marah, "how about you?" he inquired. "Did _you_ hear anything suspicious?"

Marah met his gaze and swallowed hard. "No," she croaked. "Sorry."

Cam exhaled loudly, "Weird."

Marah turned to look at Kapri, "I'm not feeling well," she muttered.

Cam arched an eyebrow in surprise, "Are you having the same symptoms again?"

Marah shook her head quickly, "no," she squeaked. "I think it's something I ate, this time."

"Can I take her home?" Kapri asked.

Cam nodded, "yeah. Get her out of here before she hurls."

Kapri smirked, "good idea."

Marah flashed them a hurt look, "you guys suck."

"Get some rest," Cam bided with a big smile; he watched Kapri guide Marah down the hall.

The girls waved goodbye at the end of the corridor, before disappearing behind one of the large doors.

Cam stared at the door, as it slammed shut behind them. The large smile he initially wore, disappeared from his face, and was replaced by a solemn, grim expression.

…

"Something wrong?"

Cam jumped slightly, and spun around to face Hunter.

"What's with the face?" Hunter noted, taking in Cam's solemn demeanour.

"How long have you been standing there?" Cam questioned.

Hunter shrugged, "long enough."

"Why aren't you at the Thunder Academy?" Cam asked.

Hunter frowned, "why are you ignoring my question?"

"I'm not ignoring your question," Cam informed. "I actually need to talk to you about something."

Hunter arched an eyebrow, "oh yeah?"

"Here," Cam sighed, as he handed Hunter an odd looking necklace.

"A necklace?" Hunter smirked, "Awe. You shouldn't have," he teased.

Cam scoffed.

Hunter eyed the necklace warily, "no really," he insisted. "You _shouldn't _have." He handed the object quickly back to Cam. The necklace looked tacky. The chain of the necklace consisted of thick thin string, while the pendant resembled a pong. The only thing special about the object was that the pendant bore the ninja crest.

"Ha. Ha." Cam stated sarcastically. "And it's not a _necklace_. It's a _communicator_."

The playful expression on Hunter's face was immediately replaced by one filled with concern. "_All of this_ because of some missing books?"

"No," Cam corrected, "all of this _because_ of some _missing books_."

Hunter frowned, "Is there something going on here that I don't know about?"

Cam shook his head.

"Because it seemed to me," Hunter continued, "that you think Marah and Kapri are up to something."

Cam blinked.

"I saw what you did earlier," Hunter admitted, "grilling them like that? Why all the random questions? Teachers never hassle students without doing a full inquiry."

Cam sighed, "Hunter-"

"I warned you," Hunter interrupted, irritated. "I told you not to keep them near the academies."

Cam flinched, "I'm just being paranoid," he dismissed. He handed the communicator back to Hunter. "But I'm sure it's nothing."

"Then I guess," Hunter stated while motioning to the communicator, "we'll never have to use these now, will we?"

…

…

_**September 25, 2004:**_

…

Kapri did a double take and re-read the page in front of her.

Marah yawned loudly, and lay her head down on top of a thick book. Just five minutes, she promised herself. Her eyes fluttered closed momentarily, but reopened at the sudden sound of loud squealing.

"What the hell?" Marah murmured. She sat up groggily, and watched as Kapri did a little happy dance.

Kapri picked up the book she was reading and flung it across the table at Marah.

Marah pulled the book closer towards her and yawned again.

"Page eight hundred and sixty four," Kapri instructed. "Ninth spell on your left, located between Restitui Anima and Capti Evigilato."

Marah groaned, and narrowed her eyes at the said spell. She blinked in surprise as she read, "Oh my god," she breathed. "This could work!"

"Ch-yeah it will," Kapri agreed.

Marah smirked devilishly, "I can't believe we pulled this off."

Kapri pursed her lips, "We're not done yet," she reminded, "Cam seemed suspicious."

Marah met her gaze; steadily. "Then we're going to have to be extra careful. If something goes wrong-"

"Nothing will go wrong," Kapri lectured. "We've come this far."

"So what do we do?" Marah questioned.

"Lay low for a week," Kapri instructed. "The abyss isn't going anywhere."

…

**A/N:** Muwhahahahahahahaha! The Thunder Storm team up is next!

The restricted section is a term that was created and belongs to JK Rowling. You will find that I shall be borrowing some HP lingo, and using it in my story.

***** PLEASE REVIEW *****

They warm my heart.


	13. October 2004

**A/N: **Hello, my babies! It's been forever – but I've made up for my absence by posting a ridiculously long chapter.

Anyways enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **Parts of this chapter do NOT belong to me. There is dialogue taken directly from the Dino Thunder episodes: Thunder Storm I and II.

…

_**October 1, 2004:**_

…

_Serenity is not freedom from the storm, but peace amid the storm; and the storm was far from over…_

…

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Marah asked, as she followed Kapri into the clearing.

"It looks like the right place," Kapri noted. It was almost midnight, and the clearing was barely visible.

"Are you sure about this?" Marah chickened. "What if-"

"For the last time, Marah," Kapri assured, "nothing will go _wrong_"

Marah pushed the book, which she had brought with her, at Kapri, "I'll keep watch," she blurted quickly.

Kapri rolled her eyes, "Why doesn't that surprise me." She took the book from Marah, and flipped it to page eight hundred and sixty four. "Ready?" Kapri yelled feverishly.

Marah, whom had sprinted uphill to the roadway, looked down at her, "Ready," she agreed, screaming back her response, even though her tone sounded anything but.

Kapri took a deep breath; the book trembled slightly in her hand_. _Like ripping off a Band-Aid, she calmed herself mentally.

She stretched her right hand out in front of her; her palm faced the earth beneath her. She used her left hand to steady the book.

Marah shot another cautious glance at her sister, before resuming the role of 'look out.'

Kapri took another calming breath, closed her eyes, and began to chant "Tu puer karma. Ego puer glaciem. Nos conferamus. Una simus. Vita ... ad te convertentur. Dare vitam ... tibi. Me vitam ... tibi. Nobis vitam ... tibi. Omnibus ... vitam tibi. REVERTERENTUR!" she shouted loudly. Marah flinched slightly, and peered about cautiously.

"REVERTERENTUR!" Kapri yelled again, "REVERTERENTUR!"

Marah looked about confused, as Kapri opened her eyes.

The sisters stood in shocked silence and waited.

After a minute passed, Marah ran back down towards Kapri.

…

"Hey," Dustin greeted as he approached Kelly, whom of which was sitting on the beach. Kelly tore her gaze away from the ocean and looked up at him.

"What's up?" she questioned, while squinting up at him. His warm brown eyes seemed darker in the pale moonlight.

Dustin shrugged and took a seat next to her, "why are you out here by yourself?"

"The girls are all AWOL," Kelly replied with a grin. "Marah and Kapri snuck off god knows where, and Tori mumbled something about going for a walk and wanting to be alone."

Dustin smirked, "I thought misery loved company?"

"Yeah, well it seems like Tori would rather wallow in it all by her lonesome," Kelly informed lightly.

…

"What happened?" Marah questioned, as she reached her sister.

Kapri look flabbergasted, "Why didn't it work? It was _supposed_ to work!"

Marah furrowed her eyebrows and eyed the clearing, "Well it_ is _protected by powerful ninja magic…"

Kapri sighed in defeat, "I was so sure, that we'd be able to do it."

Marah could only manage a nod in response. It wasn't that she couldn't think of anything to say, because she knew that she _should_ have had plenty to say, but for some strange reason everything seemed…foggy.

Marah and Kapri fell silent.

…

"Look who I found," Cam said, while pulling a disgruntled Tori into the Wind Academy's lounge.

Shane and Hunter, whom had been engrossed in conversation, turned and stared.

"Something wrong?" Shane asked.

Tori avoided his gaze. "No," she stated shortly.

Hunter flinched despite himself, at the sound of her tone.

"I found her sulking in the forest," Cam notified.

"I wasn't _sulking_," Tori defended, quickly. "I was…I was prowling. For intruders," she stammered pathetically.

Shane, Hunter and Cam shared a look she couldn't quite place.

Tori paled.

To her relief, she received no inquisition. Instead the trio erupted in a fit of laughter.

"_Intruders_? Tori, really?" Shane hooted.

"You really need to_ learn_ how to lie better," Hunter smirked.

Tori made a face at them.

…

Another moment of silence greeted them, until Kapri shattered it. She went rigid, "Um?" she asked perplexed, "_Why_ did we think that this was a good idea?"

Marah looked at her confused, "_What_ was a good idea?" she took a step back from Kapri, and looked around in bewilderment.

Kapri mirrored her confusion, but then a wave of recognition hit her. It hit her hard. Kapri looked at Marah in a state of shock and stuttered, "…O-…Opening?..._Opening_…Opening the _abyss_?"

…

See you in a week, Sensei wrote quickly on a piece of parchment.

He needed answers, and he most certainly wasn't going to get them by standing around here – doing absolutely nothing.

There has to be some way to _stop_ it, he thought feverishly. He paused and placed his goodbye letter to Cam delicately on Cam's desk. Cam would find it in the morning.

…

"_Who_ was going to _open_ the _abyss_?" Marah demanded in shock.

Kapri looked at her agape, "I-I…I think _we_ were?"

Marah could only manage an open mouth stare.

Kapri glanced down at the book she was holding, finally having noticed it. She screeched, and dropped it to the ground, and recoiled. It was like waking up from a bad dream, only to realize that everything was real, and that what they thought was a dream was in fact reality.

"What _is_ that?" Marah breathed; her tone filled with fear.

"It's a book on ninja magic," Kapri replied, "But _why_ would _I_ have a book on _ninja magic_?"

Marah looked down at the book; she trailed her fingers across the title, and panicked. "Kapri! This book is from the _restricted section_. Why do _we_ have a book from the restricted section?"

Kapri began to hyperventilate, "I don't know," she cried. "I don't understand any of this! _Why_ are we here! _What's_ going on! None of this makes any sense!" The events of the past month came flooding back to her. It her hard, like a tidal wave, making her feel numb. Her actions, she soon realized, seemed foreign to her – like a horrible out of body experience. It made her sick.

Marah picked the book up, "We've got to return this."

Kapri shook her head, "No! If we're caught we're going to get in so much trouble."

"Then what are we going to do with it?" Marah yelled, "We can't just _leave_ it here. It should at least be left somewhere in the academy."

"I still don't understand how _we_ got it _out_!" Kapri stated incredulously. "Those books are _heavily_ protected by ninja spells. We _don't_ have that kind of _power_!"

Marah took a steady breath, "We just need to tell Sensei," she consoled. "He'll know what to do."

"What if he doesn't believe us," Kapri panicked, "Do you have any idea how this looks!"

Marah ran a hand through her long brown locks. "Maybe we can ask-"

Kapri screamed suddenly, and collapsed onto the ground, violently.

…

"So my birthday's coming up," Kelly brought up. The declaration was anything but coy.

Dustin smirked, "Is that so? I hadn't realized," he stated playfully; brushing off her statement mockingly.

Kelly arched an eyebrow, "don't play dumb," she grinned, "you know how I get when it's my birthday."

Dustin laughed, "I will get you the most awesomest present, so awesome, that anything you get next week will pale in comparison."

Kelly giggled, "That's better."

…

Marah's eyes widened and she immediately became paralyzed with fear.

Kapri began to trash wildly.

…

"Are you _sure_ you're okay," Hunter pestered Tori for the twentieth time that evening. The two were currently alone in her office.

Tori fumed, "for the last time Hunter-"

"I know, I know," Hunter backed off. "You're just _peachy_."

"Right," Tori agreed. She turned around and started riffling through the files on her desk.

"But are you _sure_?" Hunter questioned again.

"Hunter!" Tori yelled. She picked up the papers and flung them at him.

"No need to get violent," Hunter brushed off.

"Paper fight!" Shane declared running into Tori's office, from out of nowhere.

"I think that only applies to food," Tori pointed out.

Shane ignored her, and threw a huge stack of paper at her.

…

Finally finding her bearings, Marah ran towards Kapri.

"Make it stop!" Kapri screamed. Marah watched in horror as her sisters skin began to sizzle.

Kapri screamed a violent scream. Her skin had taken on a life of its own. The flesh began to ripple as though it were water.

Marah tried to help ease her pain, by trying to contain Kapri to one spot. Kapri still trashed wildly, and her arms and legs flailed about like a rag dolls.

Marah put two steady hands on either side of Kapri's shoulder, but she recoiled in pain. "What the hell!" Marah yelled; Kapri had the temperature of an inferno.

"Make it stop!" Kapri pleaded again. Her screams became more and more frantic.

Marah began to cry, she tried to console her sister, but her hands burned every time she touched her. "I don't_ know_ what to do," Marah sobbed, "I don't know _what_ to do!"

….

"You guys are insane!" Cam lectured with a smirk, walking into the chaos of flying folders.

Tori laughed and hauled a huge box of printing paper at him. Cam shook his head and watched as his friends made the room rain with paper.

…

Kapri's back suddenly arched rigidly, she went eerily still, and her screaming seized.

Marah peered at her face, and found that Kapri's eyes had gone vacant. To her horror, they had become a freakish glaze, and a weird faint light was shining through it. Kapri didn't blink once.

Marah was afraid to move. She was afraid of _what_ was to come next. She just sat there in shock.

Kapri's body slowly slid back down onto the ground. Marah noticed that the faint light in her sisters unblinking eyes, were now seeping lightly through Kapri's fingernails.

Kapri got up suddenly, in a robotic fashion. The action reminded Marah of horror films depicting possession.

Kapri stood eerily still; she lifted her hands outstretched in greeting.

Marah stared out into the open field. It was like Kapri was expecting something.

A strong gust of wind began to circle around them.

The pale moonlight hit Kapri's hair; combined with the wind, and her luminescent eyes and nails - she looked positively ghostly.

In a movement that surprised Marah, Kapri began to chant. But unlike earlier the voice that left her sisters mouth sounded foreign, and the recitation was unlike anything she had ever heard.

"Lleisgar sia myvish; usjalil embara." Kapri began; her voice Marah realized, hurt her ears. Hianag di Prince Dragoon vur Daariv Forestina. Vrak di navnik. Vers di karma. Confnikes ve sia myvishi. Si torkta wux!"

Marah cringed. Her ears ached, and she took a weak step back.

"Si torkta wux!"

The ground began to shake. Marah looked on in horror as the ground cracked open.

"SI TORKTA WUX!"

A ball of light shot out from the ground. Marah watched in shock as the orb of light disappeared into the sky.

The opening in the ground slammed shut. The action caused Marah to topple over, violently.

She hit the ground with a hard thud.

Without even stopping to think, Marah pushed herself up from off the ground, and stood up and prepared herself for the worst. Instead she found Kapri staring at her, dazed.

"What-what happened?" Kapri trembled.

Marah immediately ran to her side, "Are you okay?"

"I _think_ so," Kapri replied, visibly shaken.

"We should get out of here," Marah whispered frantically.

Kapri nodded stoically, and let Marah guide her out of the clearing.

In the distance, a faint blue-violet light escaped the earth of the clearing - through a small crack barely visible to the naked eye.

…

_**October 2, 2004:**_

…

"That was awesome!" Jessie congratulated, as Blake nailed his jump.

Blake came to a slow stop and passed the finished line, "Awh yeah!" he cheered, as he pulled off his helmet. "Bro, did you _see_ that?"

Jessie ran up to him, and clapped him hard on the back, "I saw it," Jessie grinned. "_So _awesome!"

Blake beamed, "So did you find out where nationals are being held?"

"Reefside," Jessie hooted. "And you are going to _Clean_," he enunciated,_ The place_. _Out_."

Blake laughed, "You know it!"

…

…

_**October 3, 2004:**_

…

"Can we talk about this now," Marah stressed. "_Please_!"

Kapri shot cautious glances around her, "I returned the books," she whispered. "End of story."

Marah frowned, "No!" she fought, "Not _end_ of story! We need to tell Uncle about what happened. Or we should at least tell Cam."

Kapri donned Marah an incredulous look, "Have you lost it? What are we going to say? _I_ don't even _understand_ what happened!"

"All the more reason to tell them," Marah reasoned.

"No!" Kapri dismissed. "What if they think we've gone all evil again?"

"They wouldn't think that," Marah stated quietly; though she didn't sound too sure of herself.

"You willing to take that chance?" Kapri asked with a raised eyebrow.

Marah sulked, "I'm worried about you. You scared me to death out there."

"I'm fine," Kapri assured.

…

…

_**October 4, 2004:**_

…

The ground of the clearing rippled slightly, and the earth trembled. A hand shot out of the earth, and clawed at the ground. Finally gathering enough traction, it managed to pull out the rest of the body that followed.

Vexacus grabbed at the grass, trying to find a secure hold on the still trembling ground. The crack that he had pulled himself out of earlier, snapped shut again. Vexacus laughed in triumph.

"Finally," he rejoiced, "I am free!"

…

…

_**October 7, 2004:**_

…

"Hello ladies," Kelly greeted coyly as she came flouncing into the living room.

Kapri, Tori, and Marah turned their attention away from the television and redirected it at Kelly.

"So what are we doing the day after tomorrow?" Kelly asked, trying her hardest to be nonchalant.

Kapri smirked.

"I don't think we have anything planned," Tori stated with a shrug. "Why? What do you have in mind?"

Kelly grinned. Were they really going to play the 'dumb card?' "Nothing," she replied lightly, "just wondering."

Marah met Kapri's gaze and the two exchanged silent looks.

Kelly sighed dramatically, "Well I'm gonna go and hang with Dustin," Kelly informed, "You guys wanna come?"

The girls shook their heads.

"Whatevers," Kelly bided. "Laters."

"Bye," Kapri stated brightly.

Tori waved, while Marah got up. "I'll lock the door," Marah offered.

Kelly smiled, "kay."

Marah followed Kelly out of the room, and followed her to the front door.

"So?" Marah asked causally, leaning against a wall as Kelly put on her shoes. "What are you and Dustin up to tonight?"

"We're going to a movie," Kelly grinned, "Why? _Jealous_?" she teased.

Marah made a face. Kelly playfully swatted her in the arm, "Catch you later, babe."

Marah smiled and watched as she stepped out onto the front porch, "Bye," she bided.

Kelly turned to leave, while Marah closed the door behind her.

Once she was sure, Kelly was gone, she ran back to the living room. "Call Dustin!" she panicked.

Tori who was already on the phone, held a hand up. "If you cave, I will rip your arm off and beat you with it!"

Kapri grinned, "Something tells me he won't cave."

Tori hung up the phone, "Dustin won't be a problem," she informed.

Marah clapped her hands together, excitedly, "She's going to be _so_ surprised!"

…

"Hey," Blake greeted in a small voice.

"And he's alive," Hunter muttered into his cell phone.

Blake sighed heavily, "I'm sorry," he apologized.

"You better be," Hunter chided. Though he couldn't see Blake, he knew that he was rolling his eyes. "And don't roll your eyes at me," he added.

Blake who been about to enter his trailer paused and looked around. "Can you _see_ me?" he asked; he waved his hand despite himself, mimicking a landing signal officer.

Hunter laughed, "No..."

Blake lowered his hands slowly, feeling stupid as he did so.

"So?" Hunter asked, capitalizing on his silence, "did you call to apologize."

"Yes," Blake answered shortly, as he flung open his trailer door, and stepped inside.

"To _me_ or _Tori_?" Hunter pressed.

Blake slammed his door shut, and journeyed over to the nearby couch. "What?" he questioned, as he collapsed on the couch.

"Who'd you call to apologize to?" Hunter repeated.

"Obviously you," Blake grumbled.

"Why are you being a dick?" Hunter frowned.

"You wouldn't understand, Hunter," Blake groused.

"Oh yeah?" Hunter shotback, "I think I _do_ understand. You _kissed_ Tori and then _bailed_ on her, does that sound about right?"

Blake paled, "She _told_ you."

"How could you _do_ that," Hunter lectured.

"I'm not the only one to blame," Blake fired back, "did she tell you that she's been _ignoring_ me. I sent her emails, and she never responded."

"Oh you sent an _email_," Hunter mocked. "Seriously Blake? An _email_! You can have an entire relationship and not even look at somebody! That's lame!"

"You're missing the point," Blake protested. "She _ignored_ me."

Hunter exhaled loudly. There was no getting through to him. Blake had a mind like a steel trap. "Why are you calling?" Hunter sighed.

"I was worried about you," Blake mumbled. "I hated how we left things the last time we spoke."

Hunter furrowed his eyebrows, "Oh? You mean how you _hung up_ on me."

Blake frowned, "I'm sorry."

"Okay," Hunter replied limberly.

Blake arched an eyebrow. Well that was fast, he thought silently. "Really?" he asked.

"Yeah," Hunter said, "One down, one to go."

Blake huffed.

"You've got to talk to Tori sooner or later," Hunter rationalized.

…

…

_**October 8, 2004:**_

…

Vexacus smiled and eyed the barely visible crack that led to the abyss. He raised a hand towards the opening and shot a large bolt of energy at it, "Open!" he commanded.

The ground shook again, causing a power line to collapse. Vexacus eyed the fallen structure with disdain.

"I've kept up my bargain," he informed. "I will return to you when the time is right."

From beneath the ground a haunting 'go' escaped the earth.

"Always a pleasure doing business with you," Vexacus smiled, "goodbye Lothor."

...

A construction worker scratched his head and stared at the open field.

"Well, that's it," a co-worker informed.

The construction worker turned around and faced his colleague.

"The lines down here are fine, couldn't find a problem."

"That's weird," he noted, "Let's knock off for today," he shouted quickly over his shoulder, before returning his attention to his friend.

He was met by an array of 'See ya's' as he left.

"We'll fill them back in tomorrow," his friend explained, as he motioned to the obvious crack in the earth.

"Sure," he shrugged, as they left the premises.

The ground trembled suddenly; knocking the construction worker and his friend off their feet. The duo watched in stunned silence as a surge of blue violet smoke and electricity escaped the earth.

"What the hell?"

A hand shot out of the haze, and what the men could only describe as a badly dressed zombie, pulled himself out of the earth, and began to cackle.

The fallen construction workers exchanged horrified stares.

…

Blake looked at the café and arched an eyebrow. The name of the place sounded like something Cam would come up with.

"Is this place any good?" Blake asked.

Jessie shrugged, "I don't know?"

Blake sighed and followed Jessie into the café.

The place smelt of warm coffee and freshly baked pastries. The aroma made his stomach growl. Blake approached the front counter hastily, eager for something to eat.

"Hey there," he called out; tapping the counter loudly - as though it were a drum - in hopes of getting a servers attention.

He glanced around warily, and hoped the blue cap he was wearing helped to hide his face.

"Cool place," Jessie noted, "but we can't stay too long. I've got to warm up."

A server approached them and waved, "Hi," she greeted.

"Hi," Blake grinned, he then shot some more curious glances around the place. A weird sensation of being watched enveloped him, and he turned to look at the server, "Two strawberry milkshakes."

The server nodded, "coming right up," she informed.

"Strawberry milkshakes?" Jessie grinned. "How _manly _of you."

The server returned with their drinks, and set it down on the counter.

"Thanks," Jessie acknowledged. He handed the server some cash, "keep the change."

The server smiled and walked away.

"My treat," Jessie informed, as Blake took a sip of his milkshake.

Blake simply laughed in response, but a hand on his back caused him to stiffen suddenly.

"Hey," a voice greeted.

Blake spun around and found himself staring at a girl. A fan? he mused silently.

"Do we _know_ each other?" she asked, she did a quick hand gesture to herself and Blake.

Well that's new, Blake thought sarcastically.

"I don't think so," he replied carefully, he licked his lips, before he spoke again, "I'm Blake," he introduced shaking her hand; he pointed at Jessie, "This is Jessie."

"How's it goin?" Jessie greeted. The girl smiled at Jessie briefly before returning her full attention to Blake.

"Blake?" she began again, "You just look _so_ familiar to me?"

Blake sighed, and decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. He pulled off his blue baseball cap, "do you follow motocross?" he asked, as he threw the baseball cap onto the counter.

"No," she replied sincerely, "is that what you do?"

"Hi!"

Blake turned his attention away from the girl. A boy held out a notepad towards him limberly. Blake smiled lightly, "Yeah sure," he greeted. He grabbed the blue baseball cap he had been wearing earlier, and signed it instead.

"Here," he gifted.

The fan looked at him in awe, "Woah- awh!"

Blake returned his attention to the girl at hand. "Okay?" the girl noted in surprise, "You're famous for riding a _motorcycle_?"

Blake and Jessie exchanged curious glances.

He placed a hand on the girl's arm, and sidestepped her, "don't be so surprised."

Jessie grinned and followed him to a foosball table. Blake pointed at the said table, signifying that he wanted to play a game.

"Uh. No," the girl stuttered as she followed them, "It's just, I-I didn't know that you could be famous for that," she continued.

Blake eyed her curiously, "Well why don't you come see for yourself," he suggested. "The nationals are this week at Reefside MX park. Bring some friends, I'll get you passes."

The girl smirked, "Are you asking me out?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

"No, it's nothing like that," Blake dismissed with a laugh. "Look, part of being a rider is spreading the word of our sport, you know, getting people to come out who never would and all. I promise you, you'll totally be into it."

"Okay," the girl replied with a light nod.

"Here you go," Jessie said, while handing the girl a piece of paper.

"Thanks," she thanked.

"Cool," Blake bided. The girl smiled lightly, and walked away.

Blake watched her go, before turning back to Jessie.

…

Sensei frowned and eyed the restricted section warily. His time away had been unproductive and he was beginning to lose hope…

Maybe I am overreacting, he scolded himself. Maybe it isn't inevitable.

Footsteps echoed behind him, causing him to whirl around. "The library is closed!" Sensei warned.

Sensei froze and stared in shock. It couldn't be, his mind screamed.

"Hello brother," Lothor grinned a devil's smile.

Sensei cowered backwards.

"It does no good to beg or cry," Lothor laughed, as he approached Sensei.

"How did you escape," Sensei demanded.

"It does no good to question why," Lothor mused.

Sensei turned quickly on his heels. Lothor hit him in the back with a ball of energy, preventing his escape.

"Evil cuts right to the bone," Lothor laughed as Sensei hit the floor, "For evil never dies."

…

Dustin, Shane, and Tori took a fighting stance, and watched as their students charged at them.

Shane sprung into action immediately and somersaulted into the air, flying over the herd in the process. He kicked a tree for traction, and summoned the power of air to help him land gracefully on his feet.

The assembly of students immediately separated into three groups, each of which solely focused on Shane, Tori and Dustin as their targets.

…

Shane kicked swiftly; the water student in front of him dodged the attack, and his foot collided with air. Shane retracted, and did a spinning air kick in an attempt to sway off any incoming attacks. An unsuspecting air student collided into his path. Shane grabbed onto the said students hand, pulled, and sent the kid flying into the air, only to land flat on his back.

He quickly summoned another rush of power and cartwheeled into the air. The students watched him land to the ground again, only to have Shane surprise them by caterpoling back into the air, to where he had been standing earlier. An earth student tried to capitalize on Shane's landing and attacked. Shane blocked his attack but then turned around only to fend off another attack by an air student, he acted quickly and blocked the attack.

A water student ran at him, and swung her legs under his feet. Unlucky for her Shane saw her coming and summoned another rush of power. He flew up into the air via back flip, and landed on top of an air student's shoulder. The students panicked and tried to confuse him by grouping together and charging in a flock. Shane spiralled off of his momentary beckon, the students paused. Finally cornering them, Shane summoned one last gush of power. A large gust of air knocked the group right off their feet.

…

Tori dodged a punch, and retaliated by kicking the student in the foot. She clenched her fists in anger, and did a front flip in the air, a technique that served beneficial when trying to intimidate your opponent.

A water, air, and earth student eyed Tori hesitantly for a brief second, before deciding on banding together – they charged at her heatedly.

Tori flung herself up into the air, spinning like a propeller as she did so. She gained momentum, by acquiring a hold on two air students, each separated and pinned to their spot, by her feet.

The three students of earlier halted and stared at her, dumbfounded.

Tori grinned down at them, and shook her head; a devilish smile graced her face. God she loved ninja midterms, she thought to herself with glee. It sure was a great way to deviate stress.

She spared the two air students, and released them from her hold, by flipping backwards; landing gracefully on her feet; Tori summoned the powers of water, and unleashed the full force of her wrath.

…

Dustin knocked a water student's feet out from under her, before caterpolling sideways to deal with an air student.

The air student tried to sucker punch Dustin in the stomach, but Dustin blocked his attack, and retaliated by sending him flying backwards. The kid landed in an awkward position, ending with his butt facing skyward.

Dustin cringed and a brief twinge of concern overwhelmed him. The feeling vanished as a water and earth student charged at him, in an attempt to double team him.

Dustin quickly flipped backwards, and landed on his stomach. He eyed the students, and let a battle cry escape his lips. Summoning the powers of earth, he sent himself flying onto a nearby tree. He gained traction, and began climbing feverishly up the trunk. Gaining momentum, he lunged himself off of the tree, and went flying into the thick of the crowd waiting for him below. He summoned another rush of power the moment his feet hit the floor and disappeared under the earth.

The students looked around in panic. A loud crack sounded through the ground, and Dustin went flying up into the air like a rocket.

The students spun around on guard, but Dustin was too quick for them. Summoning another rush of power he aimed a blast of energy towards the group. The students fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

…

Tori, Shane, and Dustin resumed their fighting stances of earlier, while the students struggled to regroup, and stage another attack.

"Stand down," Shane ordered, finally taking pity on the bunch.

The students obeyed.

"All right," Shane asked sternly, "How do you guys think that went?"

"Dude," Dustin exclaimed, completely oblivious, "we totally kicked their butts! Yow!"

Shane stared at him incredulously.

"I believe he was talking to them, Sensei Dustin," Tori informed with a smirk.

The smile on Dustin's face slowly disappeared, "Oh," he breathed, "right," he agreed, composing himself. "Sorry. Proceed."

"Thank you," Shane's voice was a monotone. "All right," he began, as he returned to the students, "before your next lesson I want you guys to _think_ about what just happened here. You all need to consider your commitment to ninja training."

After a moment, he added, "Class dismissed."

…

"Shane, you kinda sounded like Sensei back there," Tori noted, while ducking a tree.

"Yeah," Dustin agreed.

"Yeah, well speaking of Sensei," Shane acknowledged, "Wasn't he supposed to meet us here?"

"Think he forgot?" Dustin asked.

Tori arched an eyebrow, "When has he _ever_ forgotten anything," she turned to look at Shane, and did a hand gesture, "_ever_?" she stressed.

"Hey, check it out," Dustin interrupted, while pointing.

Shane looked up, and found a large scroll hanging from a tree.

Tori and Dustin exchanged curious glances, and Shane approached the parchment. Tori and Dustin followed.

"Tori, Shane, Dustin," Shane read out loud in bewilderment, "Go to the highest point in Blue Bay Harbour. Meet me there as the sun is setting.

"Do not speak of this matter," Dustin continued, narrowing his eyes at the scroll as he read, "until I have spoken to you."

…

"Sensei?" Tori greeted concerned, "Is everything all right?"

Tori, Shane and Dustin approached him worriedly.

"No, Tori," Sensei revealed sadly, as they caught up to him "I'm afraid it's not."

"You don't look so hot." Dustin noted, "I mean" he added quickly, meaning no disrespect, "no offense."

Sensei smiled lightly, "None taken, Dustin."

"So what's up?" Shane questioned, anxiously.

"He's back," Sensei revealed gravely.

Tori blinked, while Dustin furrowed his eyebrows.

Shane eyed Sensei blankly, awaiting clarification

"Lothor is back," Sensei elucidated.

The trio stood in stunned silence; each convinced that they must have heard Sensei wrong.

"Wait," Dustin reasoned, "Lothor can't be back."

"Yeah," Shane agreed. "No way."

"We saw him disappear into the Abyss of Evil," Tori rationalized.

"If Lothor's really back," Dustin challenged, "How are we gonna fight him with no powers?"

"Cam has been saving these for just such an occasion," Sensei informed. He held out his hands and a box appeared magically.

Shane, Tori and Dustin did a double take.

"Shane," Sensei began, "Tori. Dustin. It is with a heavy heart that I must give you your new Wind Morphers." He held the box out towards them.

Tori and Dustin reached forward and took theirs.

Shane lingered for a moment hesitantly. Why couldn't they just use their old morphers, he thought silently. He reached forward and picked up the new morpher, oh that's right! He chided internally, it's useless!

"A dark cloud has descended upon us," Sensei grieved, "And it is time for you to resume your duties as Power Rangers."

Tori, Shane and Dustin displayed the new morphers, as badges of honour.

"We won't let you down, Sensei," Shane vowed. "Let's do it!" he instructed. He pressed a button, while the others followed suit. Instead of the familiar gush of power they were met with a torturous current.

Tori, Shane and Dustin stared at the morpher, as the pain passed.

"Well," Sensei asked; his tone slowly becoming more sinister, "How do you feel?"

Tori, Dustin and Shane met his gaze, brashly.

"Like Blue Bay Harbour must be destroyed," Shane informed; his tone full of need.

"Why stop there?" Tori smirked, "I want the _whole_ country."

"And then the world," Dustin added greedily.

"That's what I was hoping you'd say!" Sensei revealed, as he tossed the box he was holding. His tone shifted drastically as he spoke. Sensei waved his arm and bright lights of orange, purple, and pink illuminated him. His façade diminished instantly, and in place of Sensei stood Lothor.

"I never thought I'd say this," Lothor admitted, "but it's a pleasure to see ya'll!"

"And it's our pleasure to serve under you," Shane agreed in a monotone.

"Music to my ears!" Lothor laughed.

…

…

_**October 9, 2004:**_

…

Kelly rolled over in bed, and pulled the covers off groggily.

She flashed a dreary look at her alarm clock, and then stiffened.

A smile graced her face, and she pranced out of bed.

She ran to her vanity mirror, and fixed her hair quickly.

Smiling at her reflection, she beamed, "happy birthday to me!"

…

"Did Tori come home last night?" Marah asked as she and Kapri watched some of the students practice their sparring.

"I didn't see her," Kapri noted.

"I'm sure it's nothing," Marah dismissed.

"Ooh! Look," Kapri pointed, "there's Cam. We can ask Cam."

"Yeah," Marah agreed, as they broke off into a full sprint after their cousin.

"Cam!"

…

Could they have done something to my father_?_ Cam thought horrified. He immediately felt horrible about the thought, and reprimanded himself for his lack of faith in his cousins.

He pushed open the large gates that stood before him with a frown.

"Cam!"

Cam huffed slightly. Great, he thought sadly.

"Hey!" Kapri greeted excitedly, as she and Marah grabbed his arm.

Cam huffed again, Kapri took notice of his disgruntled appearance instantly, "who're you looking for?"

"Don't you guys have ninja homework?" Cam droned.

"Yeah, well we finished cause it was like, really easy," Marah explained, oblivious to his unhappy tone.

"Yeah," Kapri agreed; brightly, hoping that her jollity would rub off on him.

"Look," Cam dismissed; irately, turning back around. "Just go and contact your inner ninja or something," he bided; trying to get away from them as fast as he could.

"Hey, you wanna talk about this?" Kapri asked, as she and Marah chased after him, "We're _family_, remember?" That usually did the trick.

"Yeah," Marah agreed, following suit, "We're totally here for you, Cousin."

"Fine," Cam conceded. "Look, my father hasn't come back yet and I'm a little worried," he enlightened. "Ever since that whole guinea pig thing…" he trailed off. "I like to know where he is," he stated with a little shrug.

"Cam," Marah reasoned, "Your father's like a really great Sensei, I'm sure he'll be fine."

"Yeah," Kapri concurred, "And hey," she added with a big grin, "you got _us_ in the meantime!"

"Very comforting," Cam agreed trying hard not to laugh. "Now if you'll excuse me," he excused.

Marah turned to Kapri, "You know what," she gossiped, as Cam left.

"Hmm?"

"he's _so_ gonna get those worry lines!" Marah noted.

"Totally," Kapri agreed, matter-of-factly.

Marah made a face, "Ew!"

"Yeah," Kapri cringed.

"Gross!"

…

Blake took his spot at the starting line and sat on his bike. He grinned and spared a curious glance at the other riders - scoping out his competition as he did so – before finally putting on his helmet.

"The 30 second board is up."

Blake leaned forward on his bike.

The gates went up and he began to rev his engine. A man held up a '5 second board'.

"And the gate is down!"

The gates were released; on reflex Blake sped off.

"And they're off!"

…

Cam journeyed through the forest, cautiously. "Dad? … Tori? … Dustin! … Shane! … Are you out here?"

He scoured his surroundings with his eyes, and tensed upon suddenly taking note of a torn scroll hanging from a tree.

Cam began to approach it slowly.

However, out of the corner of his eye he took notice of a strange substance staining the ground. He knelt down in order to take a better look.

Cam made a face, "What's this?" he pondered quietly; out loud.

He fingered the purple goo tentatively. It was weird, but Cam knew that he had seen this before. And what was weirder, Cam continued to fret internally, was that the sight of it filled him with dread. Why would something as alien as purple slime fill me with dread, he thought quietly, why would I…

Cam stiffened and let his thought dangle for realization hit him hard. Cam froze, "this was at the Abyss of Evil!"

His eyes widened and a new wave of fear hit him, "the school!"

…

Blake hit the banner first; crossing the finish line.

"And Blake Bradley wins again!"

Blake laughed as the crowd went wild.

He took off his helmet and basked in the cheers - revelling in his win.

…

Marah laughed and watched as Kapri hit the floor hard with a thud.

"You're as graceful as a swan," she giggled and extended a helpful hand to help her fallen sister up.

"Ha. Ha," Kapri mocked. "It's not like you could possibly-"

Marah never learned the rest of her sister's rant. A huge explosion echoed through the Wind Academy.

On impulse Marah ran towards Kapri.

On impulse Kapri wrapped her arms around Marah and pulled her towards the ground. Around them students scattered around confused.

Bits of debris and smoke joined in the chaos.

Kapri got up slowly, pulling Marah up with her. Struggling to catch her bearings, Kapri narrowed her eyes and tried her best to focus. Next to her Marah did the same.

It was then that they saw him.

Lothor was approaching, and at his side, he was flanked by two of his minions.

Marah and Kapri looked at each other in horror; behind them their fellow ninjas pulled out their weapons - yelling as they prepared to battle.

Lothor ignored the battle cry. "So nice of you all to be here to greet us," Lothor cooed. Though the statement was directed to everyone, Marah and Kapri couldn't help but feel that he was addressing them specifically.

Kapri paled, "Uh-oh!" Just act nonchalant, she lectured herself with a hint of panic, he'll like that.

Marah seemed to read her thoughts. "I thought you were—" Marah began.

"Gone?" Lothor interrupted. "Destroyed? History?"

"Well . . . yeah," Marah admitted.

"Sorry to disappoint, girls," Lothor snapped. "But I'm back in black. And needless to say, I'm in a mood."

"Yeah, like that would have changed," Kapri joked. Play the ditz card, she lectured herself.

Marah laughed in agreement.

"Never could keep your mouth shut, could ya?" Lothor sneered.

Kapri's smile faded. Okay, she thought, maybe the ditz card wasn't the best choice.

Marah flinched. Scratch acting ditzy, Marah thought to herself. "Who are they?" she asked; trying her best to sound genuinely interested - while looking at the two monsters beside him.

Kapri smiled internally. Good job, she complemented Marah silently, just keep him busy.

"New friends I made down in the depths of the Abyss," Lothor informed. "They don't say much, but they fight like the dickens."

A huge blast echoed again, causing everyone to turn their attention away from Lothor. Instead, among the debris and smoke Tori, Shane, and Dustin appeared - kneeling before the crowd. The trio looked up, then stood slowly and began to walk steadily towards the hostage soiree.

Marah and Kapri finally let out a much needed sigh of relief, and began to run towards the three.

"Thank goodness you're here!" Marah exclaimed. Though in reality she was thinking, 'thank god you're safe!' "Look—Lothor!" She added, taking Dustin's arm. Kapri mirrored her action and reached for Shane, but like her sister, both were rebuffed. Shane, Tori, and Dustin sidestepped and headed towards Lothor.

"We know," Shane replied; stepping up on the platform with Lothor and the others. "Isn't it great?"

Kapri froze, "Huh?"

Marah paled, and watched as Dustin joined Lothor. Oh no, her mind screamed, something is horribly wrong!

"Capture them!" Lothor ordered.

"Gladly," Shane replied stoically. "Ready?"

"Ready," Tori and Dustin concurred, raising their morphers. "Ninja Storm, Ranger Form—Ha!"

It took a matter of seconds, but here they were – Power Rangers once again.

Shane grinned, "let's get 'em!"

Without hesitation the trio charged – brandishing swords in their hands as they advanced upon their students.

Marah and Kapri did the only thing they could think of.

Shock consumed them and they ran.

…

Kelly smiled as she entered Storm Chargers.

The sun was shining, the birds were singing…

Today was going to be a great day, Kelly thought and sighed whistfully.

…

The wind rangers fought off the students easily, and Lothor's new friends joined in, firing blasts and causing explosions to go off everywhere.

The group of ninja students staggered together and faced Lothor.

Marah grabbed Kapri's hand and pulled her behind a broken pillar, "we did this," Marah panicked.

Kapri's eyes darkened and she turned to Marah quickly, "No," she began; her tone filled with offense, "_we_ didn't _do_ anything!"

"Are you kidding me!" Marah did a double take. "Hello?" she reminded, "do you remember what happened in the clearing?"

Kapri's face scrunched with disproval.

A loud crash echoed behind her. On impulse she grabbed Marah's hand and fled, "follow my lead."

Marah paled. "What are you going to do?" she didn't like Kapri's tone.

"Feign allegiance," Kapri ordered.

"Are you high?" Marah squealed. "No way!"

"Feign allegiance," Kapri barked. "I'll figure out a way to fix this."

"But Kapri-" Marah protested.

"We did this," Kapri mocked; throwing Marah claim back in her face. "So it's only fair that we fix it!"

…

"Time to bottle up my troubles once and for all," Lothor jeered. He had an odd looking bottle held in his hands. Unscrewing the cork, he laughed and watched as the students were enveloped in a cloud of smoke. Within seconds they had disappeared into the container.

"Power down," Shane ordered. Tori and Dustin obeyed and demorphed.

Kapri and Marah suddenly appeared in front of him. Lothor's face twitched with suspicion. Surely they weren't that stupid? How could they possibly think they could escape - and right in front of his face no less? Lothor took a step towards them.

"Going someplace, girls?" Lothor asked. Marah and Kapri froze in their tracks.

But instead of running away they ran towards him.

"Hunh? Ho-wait! Not us!" Kapri defended.

"We're family," Marah pointed out.

Lothor sneered, "Only by marriage."

"Y-y-yeah, but . . . we can help!" Kapri offered.

"Yeah," Marah agreed.

Lothor narrowed his eyes at them, "like you did last time?"

"Yeah," Marah stated brightly with a smile.

"No!" Kapri cut in. "No, no. Seriously, uh, we're ninjas now and we can, totally kick butt," she insisted. To prove this she raised her fist. Marah on the other hand struck a pose – which only resulted in a collision with Kapri's chest.

"Ow," Kapri whined.

…

"Well," Lothor mused. Kapri cringed. There was something odd about the way his eyes twinkled when he looked at them. Earlier – when they had been living on the ship, Lothor had had a tendency to stare at them the way that he was now. It was nothing perverse, but it chilled her to the bone nonetheless. However, as the days to his 'death' inched closer – Lothor had become more and more distant towards them. The 'look' had vanished. But now here he was, with that terrifying gleam. Had something happened during his time in the abyss…

"You might have a point there," Lothor conceded, interrupting Kapri's thoughts. "All right, you're in."

He advanced on them, and within moments they were back in their minion attire. Marah blanched, but covered with an open mouthed 'awe' noise.

"But only on a trial basis. One screw-up and you're gone," Lothor continued. It was Marah's turn to notice Lothor's weird demeanour; though his mouth said one thing, his eyes said another.

Marah mirrored Kapri's conforming nod.

"Well, now that that's taken care of," Lothor dismissed - redirecting his attention to pseudo Shane, Tori and Dustin, "on to bigger things."

"All right," Dustin agreed.

"What about the others," Shane questioned. "Cam will be looking for us."

"Exactly," Lothor vilified. "And when he finds you, it won't be very pretty, will it?"

Tori smirked, "No, it won't."

The trio and Lothor laughed balefully.

Marah and Kapri joined in nervously.

…

Cam burst through the burning gates of the Wind Academy and looked around.

Surveying the chaos with a cringe, he muttered, "This is not good."

He took out the small pong shaped device that he had given Hunter a month earlier. "It's happened," Cam sulked. He could practically hear Hunter's 'I told you so's.' "We need to meet."

…

Hunter opened his eyes. The flash of crimson light that had arrived with him went unnoticed by the passerby's on the street. It still got him how oblivious people could be to ninja abilities. He could streak into a frenzied sale at the mall, and go undetected.

"Hunter," Cam greeted gratefully.

"Good to see you," Hunter noted. It was a miracle that Cam had been sparred Lothor's wrath. Shane, Tori and Dustin however, had not been so lucky.

Cam clasped his hand and they hugged briefly. 

This was not a time for 'I told you so's,' Hunter decided. He fell into step beside Cam, who had already begun moving. Cam was hurting, Hunter rationalized quietly, his father was missing, his cousins had betrayed him (no surprise there), their friends were missing, and his uncle was on a rampage.

"Thanks for coming," Cam thanked. How stupid could you have been! Cam lectured himself internally. Hunter did nothing to spawn this criticism. In fact, Hunter's expression was brooding as usual, but his eyes did seem to hold a tinge of something Cam could only deem as sympathetic. "Sorry to call you away from your students," he added quickly.

"No, I thought it must be important," Hunter dismissed formally. "I was hoping we'd never have to use these." He motioned to the communicator. "So, you think it's Lothor?" Hunter asked.

"It has to be," Cam stated with distaste. "Who else leaves purple slime in his wake?"

"You reach the others?" Hunter questioned.

Cam frowned, "they're not responding."

…

The girl at the café had shown up to his game after all. She had introduced herself as Kira, and she had brought two friends – Connor and Ethan - with her.

"So," Blake began, nudging Kira a little, as they walked. "What'd you think?" Ethan and Connor lagged behind.

"It was awesome," Kira praised.

Blake smiled, "Don't say I didn't warn you."

She smiled back at that.

"Thanks for hooking us up, man," Conner thanked.

"No problem, guys," Blake replied easily. He headed towards the Factory Blue van he shared with Jessie. Jessie appeared next to the van, chatting up a groupie. Blake tossed his helmet to him mindlessly.

He then turned back to Kira, Connor and Ethan, "Listen, what're you guys doing now? You wanna grab a bite?"

A high beep followed his request; distracting him. He turned back to his locker, reaching for a communicator he had never seen before. "Uh, I take that back. Looks like we're gonna have to reschedule."

Kira paused, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I hope so," Blake droned. He eyed the Ninja crest that decorated the communicator. "Listen," he apologized, "it was really nice meeting you. I'll see you guys later." He nodded a goodbye in their direction and took without a words notice.

…

Kelly frowned and stared at her phone. The front doors to her store opened causing Kelly to look up hopefully. The smile faded from her face, when she saw that it was only a customer.

Where is everyone, she thought.

…

"That's far enough!"

Shane, Tori, and Dustin stopped in their tracks.

Shane immediately zeroed in on the speaker – a red ranger. He growled despite himself, "You must be lost," he seethed, "Cause I know we didn't invite you."

"Maybe you forgot," a ranger donned in dark blue spoke. "You're supposed to _beat_ the bad guys, not _be_ the bad guys."

"Good, bad," Tori dismissed with obvious annoyance. "What's the difference? It's all about power."

"I guess we're gonna have to fight them," the red ranger instructed. They took out their weapons.

Shane smirked despite himself. Who the hell did these teenie boppers think they were, he thought, irritated. He held a hand up to stall Tori and Dustin. The duo obeyed and awaited further instruction.

Shane signalled a beckoning commandment towards the kelzacks. And as instructed the gruesome former foes charged.

Shane grinned and waved at Tori and Dustin, the duo flanked him, and they slowly advanced upon the other rangers.

…

"Where are you?" Blake questioned; his cellphone was pressed heatedly to his ear.

"Main Street," Hunter explained shortly, "the bridge. Get here ASAP."

"You're in Reefside?" Blake asked incredulously, only to be met by the sound of a dial tone.

Hunter had hung up.

…

"I don't want to hurt you!" the female yellow ranger pleaded.

Tori arched an eyebrow, "Your mistake!" she cooed; she took out her sword and hit the yellow ranger with it, sending her flying as she did.

…

Dustin laughed as he toyed with the blue ranger. He did multiple somersaults – dodging every one of his attacks. His display seemed to faze the blue ranger, for he cowered slightly. Dustin capitalized and took the opportunity. He kicked the unsuspecting ranger and sent him flying backwards, causing him to collide with his yellow comrade.

…

Cam and Hunter watched in horror as Shane sent the red ranger flying backwards into a vendor. The red ranger landed in a heap on the ground.

Blake appeared – teleporting on site – just as Shane charged the helpless boy; sword in hand, he let a sadistic laugh escape him.

Hunter smiled greatfully upon noticing Blake's sudden appearance. "Blake," he greeted; clasping his hands with his, "Am I glad to see you!" And he was. He had spent hours terrified that Blake had succumbed to the same fate as Tori, Shane and Dustin or perhaps worse.

"I got here as fast as I could," Blake breathed. "What's up?"

"We got trouble," Cam informed grimly. "Big trouble."

The trio redirected their gazes to the battle below, just in time to witness the dino rangers pulling back.

…

"Well," Lothor beamed from upon his throne of stone, "That was quite a sight."

"It was brilliant," Shane leered.

"You truly are a strategic genius," Tori buttered.

Dustin strutted into the merriment; "I can't wait to face the dino rangers again."

"What about you girls?" Lothor asked, suddenly turning to his nieces.

They duo began to babble incoherently. Lothor cut them off, irritation seeped into his features, "Now I have to take a power nap," he dismissed. "Leave me."

Marah and Kapri exchanged whispering smiles and bolted from sight. Their eagerness to escape went unnoticed by the intruder they let waltz passed them.

"You're gonna need more than a nap to beat the power rangers." The intruder groused. "Lucky for you, my master is willing to help out."

Shane, Tori and Dustin were having none of it. They immediately circled her like prey.

"How did you get in here?" Shane loomed.

"This is a private lair," Dustin menaced.

"Back off, buddy!" the intruder sniped; dangerously close to his face. "If you know what's good for you."

Dustin's face twitched slightly with annoyance. He took a step back slightly, while the intruder turned to Lothor. "Mesogog doesn't mess around with amateurs," she boasted through lips the color of black licorice.

"You don't know _who_ you're messing with," Tori balked.

Lothor held a hand up, "Wait, Tori."

The trio eyed Lothor, but obeyed. They cowered slightly awaiting further instructing. Ready to strike like cobras at a moment's notice.

Lothor approached the intruder with a wicked smile, "Mesogog has sent us his messenger. The least we can do is_ listen_ to the message."

…

"Are you nuts?" Blake yelled incredulously.

Cam ignored him, and continued walking.

"I take back everything I ever said about you being smart," Hunter groused.

"Have a look at what they've done," Cam reminded, gesturing before them. "We have to get to the Abyss, it's our _only_ chance."

"You were there, right?" Hunter smarted. "You _know_ what's_ inside_ that thing."

Cam stopped walking, and looked at Hunter, "Yes. Our _powers._ And we have to get them back if we're gonna have any chance of helping the dino rangers deal with Tori, Shane and Dustin."

Hunter nodded slowly, but Blake wasn't convinced. "No way!" he insisted. "No. There's no _possible_ way I'm going _near_ that thing again."

…

Hunter, Blake and Cam stood at the mouth of the Abyss, harnessed up and ready to descend.

"Uh, I just wanna say one last time," Blake revealed nervously. "I think this is a bad idea."

Hunter and Cam exchanged a look.

"Okay," Cam eased, after a beat, "let's go. And, uh, stick together. We split up and we're through."

…

Lothor couldn't help but grin as he entered Mesogog's throne room. "Well, well, well! Love what you've done to the place! It's homey. In a 'high-school-science-lab' sorta way."

"Lothor," Mesogog hissed, from his throne. "Your reputation precedes you."

"Well, don't believe _everything_ you hear," Lothor laughed. "Although there's no such thing as bad press, right?"

"Right," Mesogog leered, "I suppose you're wondering, why I called you here."

"Let me guess," Lothor stated flatly. "Does it have twelve legs and come in assorted colors?"

"There's only five colors this time," Mesogog breathed. "But they're no less of an irritation."

"I feel your pain," Lothor revelled through gritted teeth.

Mesogog stood slowly. "Well." He took Lothor's arm and they started to walk across the room. "I've called you here, in hopes of an alliance of sorts."

"I see," Lothor mused, his interest peeked. "I'm listening." He stood and faced Mesogog.

"I have a plan," Mesogog said. "But it would require use, of your evil power rangers."

"Ah, you've heard of those, have you?" Lothor basked. "They're all the rage."

"I believe there's a way we can _help_ one another," Mesogog continued. "That is, if you're willing to work together as a team," he began to walk away slowly, then stopped. "To rid the planet of the power rangers, once and for all."

…

"Man, it stinks down here," Blake noted, taking off his helmet. He covered his mouth with his hand, as nausea enveloped him.

The place smelled of rotting eggs and corpses; a lethal combination.

Hunter made a face in agreement. He also couldn't help but note the unusual humidity of his surroundings. The abyss felt like a fiery inferno.

"Let's find our powers and get out of here," Cam blurted quickly, obviously spooked.

Hunter went rigid but pointed to a familiar green ball glowing green and floating in the air. "Over there."

"The Samurai Amulet," Cam smiled.

"I can't believe there's no one guarding it," Hunter voiced suspiciously.

A group of assorted kelzacks and Zurgane appeared, and the boys immediately jump into a stance.

Blake shot Hunter a look. "You _had_ to say it, right?"

Hunter shrugged despite himself.

"Welcome to my home, Power Rangers," Zurgane greeted, he crossed two swords in his hand for show, then thrusted them forward. "Attack!"

…

Marah peered around the lair cautiously. "The coast is clear," she whispered.

Kapri came running from down the hall. "I don't see anyone. We have to move fast."

Marah flashed Kapri a nervous look. "What about unc-" she stopped herself short and frowned.

Kapri waved off her blunder, but the horror of it still resonated in her eyes, "he's taking a power nap. Now come on," she ordered, taking Marah's hand and leading the way.

…

Shane led the charge, while Tori and Dustin flanked him.

They walked steadily through a door – leading into a café. They didn't bother with the name, they only had one thing in mind. As they entered through the doors, they stopped and focused their attentions on staring down the dino rangers.

Shane stepped forward and raised his hand, without indication he hurled a blast of air at the trio – as well as various random civilians, sending tables and people flying and causing the customers to flee.

The taller boy struggled to get to his feet. "Can I get you anything?" he asked. "A donut maybe? Or a muffin?"

"I try to stay away from sugar," Shane growled. "Makes me hyper."

"I'd hate to see him when he gets hyper," the shorter boy, whispered to his comrade.

Tori wasn't having any of it. "Get up!" she barked. "We have some unfinished business to attend to."

The trio approached.

"Dude," the taller boy addressed his friend "She's kinda cute, don't you think?" Tori and Dustin stepped up beside Shane.

"Yeah," his friend agreed with a grin, as they looked at Tori. "In a crazed-ninja-terminator sort of way."

"Would you two focus here?" this time it was the girl who spoke. She smacked the taller boy.

"Right," the taller boy agreed.

"Can we get on with this?" Shane groaned.

"We're not gonna fight you here," the taller boy exclaimed.

"Well then we're just gonna have to destroy you," Shane fumed.

"We'll meet wherever you want," the taller boy explained.

Shane scrutinized him quickly - if he was scared his face didn't show it.

"But you come alone," the taller boy continued.

"Why should we agree to that?" Shane sniped.

"It's called honour," the girl spoke, glaring at Dustin steadily. "I thought you ninjas knew all about that."

Dustin rolled his eyes mentally, that applies to samurai's! Big difference, his mind screamed. But he didn't voice his frustration. Next to him Tori was eyeing the shorter boy with murder in mind.

"Fine," he relented. "Under the harbour bridge. In one hour. The six of us. No one else."

"Fine," the taller boy agreed. "We'll be there."

Shane, Dustin and Tori ninja streaked away without another word.

…

Sensei struggled against the cloth tied around his mouth.

"There he is!"

"Uncle!"

Sensei looked up and found Marah and Kapri running towards him.

"Don't worry uncle," Marah assured. "We got you."

"It's too tight," Kapri fretted. "I can't untie him."

"Wait," Marah suggested. She turned to look at Sensei. "Permission to use our powers?" she asked.

Sensei nodded.

Marah channelled a large amount of energy. The power was strong, but the bounds didn't budge.

"It's enchanted," Kapri muttered. "We're going to have to carry him out."

Marah looked at her incredulously, "Are you serious?"

"Mind over matter," Kapri lectured.

Marah huffed, but grabbed one of Sensei's legs nonetheless.

Kapri grabbed the other, "get ready uncle; this isn't going to be pleasant."

…

Cam reached for the Samurai amulet, but the ground shook violently suddenly and he fell.

Next to him Hunter fell as well, while Blake flew suddenly towards the side of a cliff.

"Blake!" Hunter screamed.

…

"Stay here!" Sensei ordered as he, Kapri and Marah stopped at the roadway overlooking the clearing.

"But we can help," Kapri insisted. Marah nodded in agreement.

"It's too dangerous," Sensei warned. He eyed the abyss cautiously. "Do _not_ go anywhere _near _it!" he commanded. The tone of his voice made Kapri and Marah nod despite themselves.

They stood numbly and watched as Sensei ran towards the abyss.

…

Hunter jumped suddenly - rationality evading him, and grabbed Blake's arm - barely catching the edge of the cliff with his fingers. "Gotcha!"

"Hang on!" Cam warned, he appeared at the top of the cliff.

"I'm trying!" Blake yelled. "But I'm losing my grip!"

"Now it's your turn to feel what it's like to live at the bottom of the abyss! Bye, rangers." Zurgane bellowed while raising his sword. In a flash of light, he and his posse disappeared.

Cam grabbed Hunter's arm with both hands as they all continued to slide.

"I can't believe I'm gonna miss my race tomorrow!" Blake bellyached.

Hunter looked down at him, flabbergasted. "Did you seriously just say that?"

"I can't hold on!" Cam gasped. Much to his surprise, hands clasped over his, Cam quickly looked up in shock.

…

"Fools," Shane cooed. "You actually showed up."

The dino rangers got into stance. Shane, Dustin and Tori mirrored their movements and then charged.

…

"Do you think he knows?" Marah asked.

Kapri tore her gaze away from the abyss, and looked at Marah confused.

"About _us_," Marah clarified. "About _what_ we did."

"We _didn't _do anything," Kapri stated, in obvious denial.

"Yes we did," Marah persisted. "We opened it."

"No we didn't" Kapri shotback. "We had no idea what was going on!"

"But what if it happens again?" Marah freaked. "What if we do something evil again? What if we have another out of body experience and commit an evil act, what if-"

"Shut up!" Kapri screamed. "We are _not_ evil. Lothor's obviously behind whatever happened to us. We're fine Marah. The rangers will destroy Lothor and we'll have nothing to worry about."

"But what if they _don't_," Marah stated in a small voice. "What if they _can't_?"

"They will," Kapri assured.

"And what if Lothor wasn't behind it?" Marah asked fearfully. "What if there is something _else_ going on?"

"There isn't anything sinister at play, Marah," Kapri lectured. "We'll be fine. This relapse. Whatever it was. It was all Lothor doing," Kapri assured. "I'm positive of it," but even as she said it, she felt her stomach contract in doubt.

…

"This is boring," Tori fumed, as she came up behind Shane.

Shane was panting heavily, and eyeing the fallen Dino rangers with disgust. "Shall we?" he asked.

"Oh yeah!" Dustin agreed.

They raised their morphers and prepared to morph.

…

"No, wait!" Blake shouted.

Tori's heart skipped a beat despite herself. She lowered her arm and spun to the source of the voice. As expected, her eyes found Blake's. He was closely followed by Hunter and Cam. The trio made their way over a small fence and headed towards her.

"Wait a minute," a voice uttered, snapping Tori out of her momentary daze. Her eyes found the female dino rangers.

"Blake?" the girl, pondered out loud. "That's how I _know_ you, you're a _power ranger_."

"Good," the boy standing next to her, enthused. "Cause we can use all the help we can get."

"Yeah," her taller male friend answered.

Something new began to course through Tori's veins; a rush of some sort; something foreign.

"We're not here to help _you_ guys out," Blake explained, coming to a stop directly in front of Tori. "We stick with our own kind."

Whatever the foreign feeling had been, it had now begun to fade. Tori watched Blake, guardedly.

"Lothor's shown us the error of our ways," Hunter informed.

Cam folded his arms. "Whoever doesn't follow us, we'll destroy."

Dustin smirked, "This is going to be _great_."

"Wait." Cam interrupted. He held up a hand, and then turned towards Dustin, Tori and Shane.

"First, you have to take these." He held out three disks. "A little power boost, direct from the Abyss of Evil."

"But we already _have_ our powers," Tori claimed.

"Not these ones," Hunter explained.

Shane glared at Cam suspiciously. "You'd better be right about this."

"Believe me," Cam insisted. "You won't be sorry."

…

"Be careful," Sensei warned. But even though he was a bundle of nerves, Sensei was glad. He was glad that Lothor hadn't managed to pervert them again.

"We will," Marah assured.

"We'll find your students," Kapri promised.

Sensei flashed them an uneasy smile, "You have my permission to teleport out of there if you sense trouble. If Lothor seems like-"

"We'll be fine uncle," Marah smiled. She took his hand in hers and gave it a small squeeze.

Kapri waved, and the girls disappeared in a flash of pink and orange light.

…

Dustin, Shane and Tori replaced their disks in their morphers as Hunter, Cam, and Blake watched tensely. They raised their wrists and activated their powers, only to be met by a burst of energy that shot from the morphers and sent them flying back. They hit the ground hard.

Hunter, Cam and Blake ran to their aid.

…

"Dude, what happened?" Dustin asked as he took Hunter's hand and stood up. "My bell is seriously rung."

"How did we get here?" Tori questioned. "The last thing I remember . . ." her gaze found Blake's and she looked away.

"Lothor," Blake jumped in quickly. He turned to address the group. "He's back."

"Yeah we know," Shane explained. "Sensei told us."

"That wasn't Sensei," Hunter droned.

"No, dude, I know Sensei when I see him," Dustin rationalized.

"No," Blake insisted. "It's Lothor."

"Okay, unless it was Lothor dressed _as _Sensei," Dustin concluded, pleased with himself. "Henh?"

"Okay, this is all highly amusing," the leader of the dino rangers' interrupted. "But, does someone wanna tell me what's going on?"

…

"I'm Connor," the leader of the dino rangers introduced, "and this is Kira and Ethan."

Everyone exchanged 'hello's' and 'hi's' and got the formalities out of the way, before proceeding.

…

"So where are we going?" Cam asked as he followed Ethan.

"To the Dino Lab," Ethan explained.

"Sensei should already be there, then," Hunter reminded Cam.

"This is it," Connor noted; he opened the front door and ushered the group inside. "Now we just have to introduce you all to Doctor O and Hayley."

…

"We we're about to fall inside," Cam explained, "but, Dad got there just in time."

"So, we faked being on Lothor's side," Hunter continued, "to get you to take the right ninja disks."

The group had made their way into the dino lab, and had clustered together in a circle.

"It's a good thing you guys showed up when you did," Conner noted.

Shane smirked a little. "Good thing for _you_ guys."

Everyone laughed, despite themselves.

"Whatever, dude," Conner brushed off playfully.

Sensei smiled, just as Tommy entered.

"Nah, I'm just playing, man," Shane grinned. "You guys fight like rock-stars."

"I, for one, will take that as a compliment," Kira stated proudly.

Dustin and Ethan bumped fists silently, while Cam let a small smile grace his face.

"We're glad you're here," Tommy said gratefully; he came to a stop beside Sensei. "But now it's time to get down to business."

"Tommy is right," Sensei explained. "We have a serious problem on our hands."

"And it's gonna take all of us, to defeat him," Tommy stated gravely.

…

"Sir, the troops are assembled and ready for battle."

"Your general has done well," Mesogog praised, from his spot next to Lothor and his female comrade.

"Thank you, sir," Zurgane bowed.

"Enough about him," Lothor interrupted. "Let's get this show on the road. We have a world to command, and the clock's a-ticking."

…

"We've got company." Hayley informed. Cam peered at the monitor, and shot a look at his friends.

"It's time," Tommy informed, "to show them what teamwork is really all about."

…

"Dino Thunder, Power Up!"

"White Ranger, Dino Power!"

"Ninja Storm, Ranger Form!"

"Thunder Storm, Ranger Form!"

"Samurai Storm, Ranger Form!"

"Tyranno!"

"Tricera!"

"Ptera!"

"Bracchio!"

"Drago!"

"Dino Thunder!"

"Power of Air!"

"Power of Water!"

"Power of Earth!"

"Crimson Thunder!"

"Navy Thunder!"

"Samurai Power!"

"Ninja Storm!"

…

"Hello?" Kelly yelled as she entered the beach house that belonged to the boys.

No answer.

"This isn't funny guys?" she yelled.

She checked each room thoroughly and frowned. Her birthday was almost over, and her friends were nowhere to be found.

…

Shane accessed his battleizer and a calamity fell over him. For the first time in a long time he could feel Skyla's presence. But unlike the dreams, the new feeling of calm did wonders for him. He couldn't explain why, but for some strange reason the notion that Skyla was finally safe, engulfed him.

Smiling, Shane joined the charge and helped to defeat the monsters that stood before him.

…

"Your plot, has failed." Mesogog sneered.

"You two," Lothor snapped turning to Marah and Kapri. "Get down there and, do some of that ninja stuff you're always bragging about!"

Marah and Kapri threw on their game faces and started to babble about nonsense. They backed away from Lothor and Mesogog and headed towards their friends.

…

"Nice moves, you guys," Connor congratulated.

"Back at you, bro," Shane laughed. They clasped hands, then turned as Marah and Kapri shot from the sky, and landed in a heap on the ground.

"Guys!" Kapri greeted. "Hey Cam," she smiled.

Cam hurried towards her and Marah. "What are you doing here?"

"Is that any way to greet family?" Kapri asked, frowning.

"Yeah," agreed Marah. "Especially when we brought you a present." She held up a container and opened it, and a cloud emerged, forming into the ninja students, who knelt, then stood together. The students shouted with glee.

"Our students," Shane and Dustin yelled in unison.

…

Haley and Sensei broke out in huge grins.

"Thank you," Sensei thanked. "We owe you a debt that we will never be able to repay."

…

Marah and Kapri looked at each other, then tore off their evil alien gear and returned to their ninja uniforms, looking very pleased with themselves.

Shane ran towards his students; the teacher in him took charge, "Hey, everybody okay?"

Cam approached his cousins, and Marah placed an arm on his shoulder. "You didn't think we really went bad, did you? We were just, pretending."

"Again?" Cam asked.

"Yeah, well we're slow learners," Kapri laughed.

…

Lothor smiled internally. He didn't dare show his glee on his face. He would use that cunning deception his nieces had cultivated to his advantage. He vowed vengeance, but first he would have to deal with Mesogog. And Mesogog, could never learn of his true master plan, for he did not trust Mesogog.

Plastering on a new game face, Lothor kept his gaze fixed on the monitor, "I knew I should never have trusted those two!" he spat, faking fury.

"And I knew I shouldn't have trusted you," Mesogog said, taking the bait. Lothor turned to face him.

"Looks like this planet has one too many evil villains," Mesogog continued, "And I have no intention of leaving."

…

Mesogog pinned Lothor against a wall firmly. "Say goodbye, Lothor," he cooed. "And this time—mean it." He shot a ray from his head and it engulfed Lothor, shrinking him and securing him in a container.

"Very collectable," Mesogog sneered, picking up Lothor's prison in his hand.

…

"I'm afraid it's dead," Haley said. "Lothor's extraction of the powers left just enough energy for one, last battle."

"Yeah, well I guess it's a good thing we got you guys," Shane noted, though he was sure his disappointment probably showed on his face.

"You've done your part," Conner acknowledged, putting a hand on Shane's shoulder. "It's our turn to take over where you left off." Shane nodded slightly. He knew that what Connor said was true, but the loss of losing Skyla felt fresh again. It was like losing her all over again, but something felt different this time. He stared at his lifeless morpher. It was weird, but when he held the device now, it felt as though Skyla were with him. He could only hope that he could now find peace, and that his nightmares would stop.

"There's just one thing I _still_ don't understand," Dustin pondered as he walked with Tommy.

"What's that, Dustin?" Tommy asked.

"Who rescued Sensei?"

Marah and Kapri step up quickly. "I think we can answer that for you," Kapri informed.

"Yeah," Marah said with a smile.

…

Everyone laughed as Marah and Kapri finished their tale.

"What?" Marah demanded. "Do you guys have _any_ idea how heavy he is?"

"Yeah," Kapri chimed. "Hey, Sensei, you should cut down on the cookies with your afternoon tea."

Sensei laughed, "I will keep that in mind now that I am returning to my normal life."

"I'm all about getting back to normal," Ethan concurred.

"Yeah, but not until we get down and dirty," Blake enthused.

Everyone cheered and began to head out towards the racetrack.

…

"Dustin?"

Dustin spun around and found himself staring at a familiar face.

He arched an eyebrow and pointed at the blonde girl in front of him, "Cassidy, right?"

"Yeah," Cassidy smiled. Next to her a boy with shaggy hair decked out in skater gear looked around uncomfortably.

Cassidy took notice. She cleared her throat and pointed to him, "This is my friend Devin," she introduced. "Devin this is Dustin."

"Hey," Dustin and Devin greeted in unison.

"So what brings you to Reefside?" Cassidy asked.

"A friend of mine is riding in the tournament," Dustin revealed.

"Oh, that's right!" Cassidy exclaimed. "You did say that you were in to mototoss."

Dustin flinched despite himself.

Devin grinned. "cross, Cass." He corrected. "That's moto_cross_."

"Whatever," Cassidy waved off airily.

She turned to Dustin. "Do you think you can ask your friend if he can get me an exclusive with Blake Bradley?"

Dustin laughed. "My friend _is_ Blake Bradley."

Cassidy inhaled a sharp intake of breath and smacked Dustin excitedly, "What luck! So can you help me?"

"Sure," Dustin laughed. "Meet me on the Southside in ten."

Cassidy smiled, "kay kay."

…

Marah did a double take at the girl walking past her, "Kapri, did you just see that girl? She is like, _so_ stunning."

Kapri could only manage an open mouth stare. The girl in question was a mirror image of Marah; the only difference was that she had blonde hair.

"But _I_ am so much prettier," Marah continued.

Kapri opened her mouth to clue Marah in, but stopped upon spotting an obviously upset Tori. "Come on," Kapri silenced. She took Marah's hand and dragged her off towards Tori.

…

Tori watched Blake carefully as he chatted with Kira.

She wasn't sure how long she had been staring, but it must have been long enough to garner notice since a voice next to her indicated as much.

"I hate her," Marah seethed.

"You don't even _know_ her," Tori replied, averting her gaze away from Blake and Kira, and redirecting it towards Marah and Kapri.

"I've seen _enough_ to make up my mind," Marah stated.

"They aren't even _doing_ anything," Tori noted, "They're only _talking_."

"That's how it starts," Marah reminded. "Don't you remember the _slack jawed swamp donkey_ from New Years?"

Kapri and Tori laughed despite herself.

"How could we not," Kapri smarted, "You only bitched about it for months afterwards."

"Point is," Marah stated airily – ignoring Kapri, "They started off all buddy-buddy. A smile there, a little chattity chat, and two seconds later – they're making out!"

"They _weren't_ making out," Tori reminded, "you left or you would have seen that it was only one kiss."

"How would _you_ know?" Marah snapped, "You were too busy _kissing_ Blake."

Tori turned an unnatural shade of pink, while Kapri smacked Marah.

Marah sobered, "sorry," she apologized, "I'm sorry. You know how I get when it comes to Dustin."

Kapri scoffed while Tori nodded sympathetically.

"I know," Tori stated softly.

Kapri furrowed her eyebrows suddenly, "you guys?" she pondered.

Tori and Marah turned to look at her.

"What's wrong?" Tori asked.

Kapri relaxed after a beat, but her face was still lightly coloured with confusion. "Nothing," she muttered, "it's just…I feel like I'm _forgetting_ something."

Tori nodded, "I had the _same_ feeling earlier," she acknowledged. "But I couldn't remember what it was."

"Me too," Marah chimed.

"Weird," Tori breathed.

"It can't just be a coincidence," Kapri fretted. "I'm going to find Cam. He ought to know. He _always_ knows what's what."

…

"Hey," Cam greeted coming to stand next to Hunter. He took one look at the former crimson rangers face and frowned. "What's wrong?"

Hunter nodded towards Blake and Kira. "Do you think that they're like-" he broke off, and chose his words carefully. "_together_?"

Cam pondered quietly. "They do seem awfully chummy."

Hunter frowned at that. "Why would he do that? And right in front of Tori?"

"Hey Cam!" Kapri greeted running up to him.

Hunter narrowed his eyes at her as she approached.

Cam on the other hand, beamed. "What's up?" he greeted.

"So I was talking with Marah and Tori," Kapri began.

Hunter perked up at the mention. "Tori? Is she okay?"

Kapri hesitated. "She's fine," she lied; waving a hand airily. Her tone betrayed her signifying that that was not the case.

Hunter frowned.

"Anyways," Kapri continued. "We were talking, and it seems that there's something that we all should be remembering but for some reason none of us can."

Cam's face turned grave, "Do you think Lothor's behind it?"

Hunter stood up instantly, suddenly all business. "Like an alien mind warp?" he asked. He narrowed his eyes at Kapri.

Kapri ignored him. She turned to look at Cam. "I didn't even think of that?"

"Think of what?" Shane asked, as he came towards the three. At his side were Connor and Ethan.

"Is there something important today that we're forgetting?" Cam asked Shane.

"And did we have it erased from our minds against our wills?" Hunter spazzed.

Shane furrowed his eyebrows. After a beat recollection hit him. "Oh my god," he breathed, and smacked his hand against his forehead. "_Kelly_."

Connor furrowed his eyebrows, "whose Kelly?"

Cam stiffened, "her birthday." He turned to Connor and Ethan, "She's a friend of ours," he explained.

"And she's going to hate us," Hunter stated.

Kapri nodded silently in agreement to all that was said.

…

Blake waved as Kira walked away and began to join the crowd of spectators.

"Yo Blake!"

Blake spun around and found Dustin fast approaching him.

"Hey dude!" Blake greeted warmly. "What's up?"

"Do you think you can do me a favour?" Dustin asked.

Blake grinned, "Name it?"

"A friend of mine," Dustin began, "wants an exclusive with you."

"Oh yeah?" Blake questioned guardedly, "who?"

Dustin opened his mouth to respond, but paused briefly. His attention focused on something behind Blake. Blake soon realized who it was the moment _she_ stepped in front of him.

Blake smiled, "Oh, hey Marah. When did you dye your hair?"

Cassidy frowned, "Marah?"

Dustin looked at Cassidy. Then he did a double take, and for the first time he really _looked_ at her. He blanched instantly.

Dustin shook his head. "Um. No. This is Cassidy."

Blake arched an eyebrow.

The sudden sound of a carefree laugh caused him to turn away and towards the source of the laugh. As expected her spotted _Tori_. She was clutching her stomach, and swatting her arms playfully at _Marah_.

Blake stared at her dumbfounded. He turned back and looked at Cassidy. "Woah."

Dustin looked ill.

"Yeah, I'm down for an exclusive," Blake agreed.

Cassidy beamed.

"Meet me once I collect my trophy," Blake informed.

Cassidy smirked, "Confident aren't we?"

"I avoid negativity," Blake shrugged.

Cassidy nodded, "okay. I'll see you then," she quickly turned to Dustin, "thanks."

Dustin nodded, "No prob."

Cassidy's smile was radiant. She waved goodbye and ran off.

Dustin groaned loudly, once she was out of earshot. "I'm a basket case! How could I _not_ have _seen_ it dude? This is _so_ messed up?"

Blake smiled sympathetically. "Maybe you didn't _want_ to see the resemblance."

Dustin grimaced. "And why would I _want_ to do that, dude?

Blake shrugged, "because maybe lying to yourself and living in denial about your true feelings just seemed so much easier."

Dustin eyed him suspiciously. It soon became obvious to Dustin that Blake wasn't speaking only of Dustin anymore.

…

"What's so funny?" Kapri asked as she approached a laughing Tori and Marah.

Marah turned to her, her eyes glistened with tears from laughing so hard. "I told Tori that we really ought to buy some _salad tongs_ for the house, and she thought I said _slutty thongs_!"

Kapri flashed Tori an amused look, and smirked.

Tori cackled with laughter again despite herself.

"So did Cam figure out what's up?" Marah asked as she dried her eyes.

Kapri made a face, "its not good guys," she began. Tori and Marah stared at her expectantly.

"Kelly's birthday," Kapri stated guiltily.

Tori's mouth fell open while Marah gasped, "Oh no!"

…

"The race is about to start," Ethan gushed as he ran towards Hunter and Shane.

Shane who was on his cell phone smiled at him, and then said, "we have to leave immediately after the race Sensei. Kelly's birthday is today and-"

Hunter watched as Shane broke off and listened to Sensei. A few moments later he hung up and turned to Hunter. "We have permission to ninja streak back to Blue Bay Harbour."

"Ninja streak?" Ethan cooed, despite himself in awe. "Awesome."

Hunter couldn't help but grin.

…

"Hey dude," Dustin greeted as he approached Cam.

Cam turned to face him, his face tense, "Did you hear about the plan?" he inquired.

"To ninja streak back home after Blake's race?" Dustin asked while arching an eyebrow. "Yeah, Hunter already filled me in, man."

Cam seemed to relax considerably. He flashed Dustin a small smile and turned to watch as the riders approached the start line. The race was bound to start any minute now.

Dustin shifted his attention towards Kapri and Tori. Both girls stood on the other side of Cam lost in deep conversation. Dustin frowned. He eyed the area, as he searched for a familiar face. When he finally found her, he grimaced. Marah stood on the far end of their group.

This definitely _isn't_ a coincidence, Dustin thought, Marah definitely was putting as much space as humanly possibly between them.

…

The rangers cheered as the riders raced around the track.

Blake however had finished long before the others.

Conner and Shane ran towards him excitedly and lifted him on their shoulders.

Tori couldn't help but smile as she watched Blake raise his trophy as they all celebrated together.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Hunter and Kira slap hands in a celebratory fashion.

Tori couldn't help but smile again. Although Hunter would never admit it, Tori was positive that his sudden focus on Kira stemmed from an attempt of getting all obstacles out of the way, so that Tori and Blake could talk.

Tori took a deep breath and began walking towards Blake. She watched as Shane and Connor lowered Blake on to the ground.

The moment his feet hit the ground, his eyes began to roam the premises. She watched as his face lit.

Tori beamed. This was it, Tori prepared herself. This was her opportunity to clear the air. She took another step forward, but then froze.

Blake was fast approaching, but he _wasn't_ headed in _her_ direction. Instead he headed towards Hunter.

Hunter paused and turned to congratulate him, but Blake's gaze had already met Kira's. The horror on Hunter's face mirrored Tori's.

Blake pulled Kira into a bear hug, while Tori fled from the scene.

…

Marah watched as Tori took off across the field.

She knew what that feeling felt like. It was worse than a kick to the stomach.

Marah began to head towards the spot that Tori had vanished, when a hand on her arm stopped her in her tracks. She tried to shrug whoever it was off, but the hand on her arm was firm. Marah frowned and looked up to protest, but her voice caught in her throat.

"Can we talk?" Dustin asked.

Marah flashed him a look of pure angst. She met his gaze but then broke it and looked back towards the direction that Tori had disappeared to.

"I'm sorry," Marah said painfully.

It must have been her imagination, but the look on Dustin's face looked crushed.

"I have to do something important first," she placated.

Dustin stared at her for a long time.

Marah couldn't help but silently curse her face. Why now, she screamed internally. She wanted to talk to him so bad. She was dying with curiosity to know what he had to say. Damn my timing, she wept silently.

Dustin nodded easily suddenly. His face brightened and he flashed her a grin, "okay. But don't leave me hanging," he warned, playfully.

Marah beamed, "I wouldn't dream of it."

…

Hunter had never thought violent thoughts that concerned his brother.

He had never wished Blake ill. But watching Blake hug Kira right in front of Tori made him want to grab his brother and slap him hard and repeatedly, until he came to his senses.

Hunter walked away and found an empty lawn chair. The sight of Blake and Kira made him want to wretch.

"Hey," Cam greeted. By the sound of his voice, it soon became evident to Hunter that Cam had witnessed the same thing he had.

"Did you see her face," Hunter grumbled.

"Yes," Cam stated, his voice was edged with frustration.

"She looked so…so…"

"Heartbroken," Cam finished.

Hunter buried his head in his hands, "I hate this!"

"Cam!"

Hunter groaned despite himself. Not now, he yelled to himself, go away!

"Cam!" Kapri greeted as she came up to him. Her face was flushed, and she looked out of breath. She flashed a look at Hunter, and took a step back. It was evident from Hunter's composure that he didn't want her anywhere near him right now.

"What's wrong Kap?" Cam asked.

"You saw what happened out there?" she demanded.

Hunter flinched. He was in no mood to hear Kapri whine about Blake's behaviour right now. He opened his mouth to retort, but Kapri had already begun speaking again.

"I have an idea," Kapri explained. "It should make Blake come to his senses."

Hunter fumed.

"Pretend to be Tori's boyfriend," Kapri suggested.

Cam looked at her incredulously. He turned carefully towards Hunter, expecting to see his friend ready to electrocute Kapri, but Hunter looked calm.

"That," Hunter began, the anger dissipating from him as he spoke, "that could work."

Cam donned them an expression that suggested he just entered an alternate dimension. "Did you two just _agree_ on something? Because that would just be crazy. And I think that I must be going insane, because what you're suggesting is ludicrous."

…

"Tori?"

Tori didn't even try to cover up her distress, she only cried harder as Marah approached.

"Oh Tori," Marah placated and threw her arms around her, "I know," she comforted, as Tori cried on her shoulder. She rubbed her back soothingly. "It'll be okay."

"No it won't," Tori cried. "How could he?"

Marah was speechless. She didn't know _what_ to say. She didn't think there was anything that she _could_ say. She just sat quietly and held Tori as she cried.

…

Kelly yawned and watched the dark envelope the sky.

She sat on her couch and eyed the clock nervously. She may have been angry at her friends for bailing on her, especially when it was her birthday, but the longer they were gone, the more frightened she became.

She pulled a comforter up to her neck, and huddled into her couch and waited patiently. Come tomorrow morning she was going straight to the police.

…

"So remember," Shane grilled, "no ranger talk and no ninja talk. She's completely in the dark."

"We promise," Connor vowed. As luck had it, Reefside High School had a Reading Week scheduled for the following week. As a result, Connor, Ethan and Kira had decided to return to Blue Bay with the ninja's for a much needed vacation.

"Have fun," Tommy bided, while looking at Connor, Ethan, and Kira. "And remember to be back in Reefside by the 15th. I have something I'd like to discuss with you all on Saturday."

"Thanks Doctor O," Kira bided.

…

"Blake."

Blake immediately looked up from his motorcycle and turned to face Sensei. He stood up quickly and bowed with respect.

"May I speak with you," Sensei asked.

"Of course Sensei," Blake said, as he approached Sensei.

"I would like it if you came with us back to Blue Bay Harbour," Sensei explained.

Blake stalled. "I-I'm…I'm not sure that's a good idea Sensei. I'm really busy with-"

"One always makes time for one's family," Sensei interrupted.

Blake nodded quickly. Sensei words weren't a mere suggestion. They were an order.

"Yes Sensei," Blake agreed.

"Good," Sensei smiled, pleased. "We leave tonight."

…

Dustin exited the Dino Lab quietly and sighed.

The sky had darkened significantly during the past few hours.

Dustin found a stretch of lush, soft grass, and sat down.

The events of the day had tired him out considerably, but despite his weariness he kept replaying the events and the role Marah had played.

She could have easily betrayed them, Dustin realized. But she didn't.

Not this time.

Was Tori right? Had Marah really changed?

…

"Tori?"

It had been hours since Tori had witnessed Blake and Kira's public embrace. She felt spent, and was positive that she had cried every tear she could possibly shed.

She flinched despite herself at the sound of Cam's voice.

She plastered a fake smile on her face, "oh? Hey Cam. What's up?"

Cam grimaced. "You don't have to pretend with me," Cam informed as he came to stand in front of her. "I saw how upset you were earlier."

Tori closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was wrong. She could feel tears begin to well in her eyes again. She took a few calming breaths and willed the tears away. She opened her eyes and shrugged.

"I'm sorry Tor," Cam comforted.

"Why are you sorry," Tori mumbled, "_you_ didn't _do_ anything."

Cam looked at the ground. He brightened and looked up at her suddenly, "want to hear something hilarious?"

"Please," Tori breathed, practically begging. She needed something, anything, to numb her pain.

"Hunter and Kapri finally_ agreed_ on something," Cam revealed.

"No?" Tori challenged in shock.

Cam smiled, "I'm serious."

Tori managed a small smirk, "Hell must have frozen over."

Cam laughed at that.

"So what was it about?" Tori asked.

"What was what about?" Cam questioned.

"The agreement," Tori replied. "What did Kap and Hunter agree on?"

"Oh," Cam stated uncomfortably. He looked at the ground, and kicked a pebble with the front of his shoe. "Kapri thought that I should pretend to be your boyfriend in order to make Blake jealous."

Tori eyes widened with surprise.

Cam laughed uncomfortably, "I know," he dismissed, "crazy right?"

The smile on Tori's face disappeared, and she went rigid.

…

"Hey," Marah waved.

Dustin, whom was sitting alone outside of the Dino Lab, looked up and smiled.

"I told you I wouldn't keep you waiting," Marah reminded.

"Yeah," Dustin grinned and added, "And I think what you did for Tori was cool."

Marah blinked, "hunh?"

"Hunter filled me in on all the Blake and Tori stuff," Dustin explained.

"Oh," Marah stated. "Well Tori's made me felt welcome since I got here, and she's been nothing but nice to me. She's my friend. And I care for her. I just wanted her to know that she can count on me, just like I know I can count on her."

"You really have changed," Dustin breathed suddenly.

Marah froze.

"What I meant was," Dustin flustered, "is that I'm sorry I treated you so coldly when you arrived."

Marah held up her hands defensively, "No," she dismissed, "you have nothing to apologize for. What I did to you was-"

"What you did to me…" Dustin interrupted; he stood up suddenly and approached her.

Marah's feet went numb; he came to a stop in front of her.

"Is past," Dustin finished. "It's in the past, dude. Everyone deserves a second chance. And I'm sorry I didn't give that to you."

Marah managed an awkward smile, "you really shouldn't apologize," her mind drifted to the part she played a few days earlier at the abyss. "_Really_ you shouldn't."

Dustin shook his head and extended his hand towards her, "Dustin Brooks," he introduced with a smile.

Marah couldn't help but laugh, "what are you doing?"

"Wiping the slate clean," he explained. His hand still hung in the air.

Marah took a deep breath, and took his hand in hers. They shook hands, locked in a firm handshake.

"Want to be friends?" Dustin asked.

Marah beamed, "I'd love too."

…

Blake sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

What am I going to do now, he thought; aggravated. How am I going to face Tori now?

He thought he could deal with seeing her again, but he couldn't. The way she made him feel scared him to death. He had never felt this way about anyone before.

When he was around her, he found himself losing control. But he couldn't afford to think like that. Especially, not now. He was on the verge of greatness. His career was on fire.

He couldn't afford a distraction. He needed to stay focus.

Blake took a deep breath. No matter how much it killed him to break her heart; he had to push her away. He couldn't put her through the pain of separation every time he had to leave. Their first goodbye was torture.

And that kiss. Blake stopped walking. He couldn't see clearly. He couldn't let her get to him like that. His feelings for her were his only true weakness. If they got together, he would never be able to say goodbye to her. He didn't have it in him to say goodbye to her. He just wanted to stay with her forever.

You're a basket case Blake! He criticized himself, as he began to walk in silence again. You and Tori aren't even _together_, and you're already coming unglued!

That strengthened his resolve. He just needed to stay away from her. He just needed to make her hate him. Yes he was a coward, but he didn't care.

He came to a halt suddenly. A flash of white blond hair caught his eye.

Despite his earlier resolve, he headed towards the direction of the girl he knew he'd find.

…

"Tori? What is it?" Cam cautioned.

No! Tori screamed mentally. She must be seeing things.

"Tori?" Cam repeated.

"Cam. Can you do me a favour?" Tori asked heatedly.

"What?"

It wasn't a question. He was awaiting instruction.

Tori advanced on him, and buried her face in his neck, "just hold me."

…

The electricity that coursed through Blake was undeniable.

He blinked in shock.

He wanted to run up to them and demand answers, but he managed to summon all the strength he had in him to stop himself short.

He had no right to demand things of Tori. He was _nothing_ to her. He was just the jackass who broke her heart.

Blake's jaw set in a grim line. His feet felt heavy, and it took everything he had in him to turn around and walk away.

…

Cam watched as Tori pulled away from him. Her face was coloured with guilt.

"He was standing behind us wasn't he?" Cam asked.

Tori nodded stoically. "Cam, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

Cam held a hand up and silenced her, "don't apologize. Blake had it coming."

"You don't hate me?" Tori bit her lip.

"Hate you?" Cam repeated confused. "Of course not!"

…

Kelly awoke to the noise of loud footsteps.

Her eyes flew open in shock. The living room was completely dark now. The only light visible was provided by the windows that overlooked on to the beach.

When did I fall asleep? Kelly panicked.

"Did you forget all of your stealth training?" a whisper asked; cold fear began to pulse through Kelly's veins. She got up off the couch quickly, but carefully, and headed towards her bedroom.

She bumped into a table in the dark, a loud crash thundered within the house.

Kelly took off in a full sprint to her room. Loud footsteps thundered after her.

She tried to lock her door, but the intruders were faster. The door flew open and they advanced on Kelly in the darkness.

The moonlight silhouetted their profiles. There were two of them.

Kelly fought with everything she had.

During the struggle the three of them had some ended up on her balcony.

The arms of one of her assailants pulled at her, but then suddenly the taller impostor went rigid.

The shorter attacker looked at his comrade in shock. The taller one sprung forward suddenly, and before Kelly knew what was happening, she was freefalling over the railing of the balcony and hurtling down towards her demise.

…

Shane and Hunter watched in horror as Cam ninja streaked across the beach and towards the beach house.

"What the hell is he doing?" Hunter yelled confused.

Shane froze and stared. His mouth hung open in shock.

…

Strong arms closed around her suddenly, and Kelly found herself opening her eyes in shock.

The familiar face of Cam looked down at her.

She looked up and met his gaze with confusion. She was shaking, and her features tensed with lack of recognition.

Cam looked at her helplessly, "Kelly, are you alright?"

She nodded lightly, and took in her surroundings. She looked up at the balcony and spotted a very rattled Kapri and a stupefied Blake, staring down at her.

Somehow during her fall, she had magically ended up in Cam's arms.

The strength of his arms cradling her made her feel safe.

For reasons unknown to her, Kelly burst into tears and wrapped her arms around Cam. She had never been so happy to see anyone in her life.

…

Kapri collapsed on to the ground, and began rocking back and forth. She could feel Blake's eyes on her but she didn't care.

What the hell had just happened? She screamed in silent horror. One second she was fine, and the next she found herself pushing Kelly to her death. Had Marah been right? Had the abyss been the start of something more sinister?

"I didn't mean to do it?" Kapri finally spoke.

Blake scrutinized her carefully. Her remorse was real, he noted, there was no way she was faking it, he decided. The girl was practically a nervous wreck. Of course, she never meant to do it.

"I believe you," Blake replied. "It was an accident."

Kapri looked up at him confused.

…

"What happened?" Marah asked as the group huddled around a visibly shaken Kelly.

"She fell from the balcony," Cam revealed.

"Lucky for me, that you just happened to be standing at the ready to catch me when I fell," Kelly thanked.

"What happened up there?" Shane questioned.

"It's all my fault," Kapri began.

Hunter narrowed his eyes at her.

Kapri took a deep breath, "I-"

"She lost her balance," Blake interrupted.

Kapri blinked and looked at him confused.

"She lost her balance. We both did." He turned to Kelly. "I'm so sorry Kelly. We both are. It was an accident."

"I know," Kelly smiled lightly. "I mean. There is no way either of you would try to kill me."

Blake smiled at that.

Kapri turned an unnatural shade of green.

"So what took you so long?" Kelly asked. "I was so worried. I was prepared to go to the police station and file missing persons' reports."

"Sorry Kel," Tori apologized.

"Well that's whatever's," she dismissed waving her hand. She glanced at her wrist watch, "but 11:48pm is pushing it a bit, isn't it? I mean, I'm all for surprises and all, but this literally takes the cake."

"Speaking of cake," Dustin announced as he brought over a huge cake already lit.

"Happy birthday to you," Dustin sang, "You live in a zoo. You smell like a monkey, and you look like one too!"

"Dustin!" Kelly yelped.

Dustin grinned and gave her a big hug, "I kid. You know I love you! Happy 19th B-day!"

"Happy 19th!" Everyone cheered.

Kelly laughed. "Thanks," she giggled, "but would someone care to explain who these three are," she asked, while pointing to Connor, Ethan and Kira.

Shane got up and started the introductions, while everyone dispersed, and started to celebrate.

Kapri remained silent, and hugged herself. She watched Marah and Dustin laugh about an inside joke that the two now shared from across the beach.

The familiar feeling of being watched caused her to look up. She met Hunter's accusatory gaze. Blake may have been able to fool everyone about what had happened earlier, but it was clear to Kapri that Hunter wasn't buying it.

…

_**October 10, 2004:**_

…

"Come on Cam," Marah begged.

Cam gave her an exasperated look and continued his trek to get away from her. To his surprise he found his path blocked by Dustin. Cam arched an eyebrow and looked at Dustin confused.

"You need to hear her out," Dustin stated simply.

Cam's face coloured with confusion. When had Marah and Dustin began hanging out? He wasn't complaining, but the fact that Dustin and Marah were currently prodding him to perform the unthinkable was frustrating.

"Not you too," Cam groaned.

"Ha," Marah enlightened. "See, you just made our point. _Everyone_ wants you to do it!"

"Blake will murder me in my sleep," Cam reasoned.

"Blake will thank you in the long run," Dustin persisted.

Cam shook his head.

"You know," Marah brightened, while flashing Cam a coy look. "If you pretended to date Tori, and no one mentioned the ruse to Kelly, this could help your case."

Dustin arched an eyebrow and stared at Cam with wide brown eyes. "You like Kelly?"

Cam blushed crimson. "No I don't."

Dustin smirked, "then tell that to your face, dude."

Marah stifled a giggle.

Cam groaned and tried to brush passed them.

"Look, wait," Marah sobered, she grabbed Cam's arm and turned him to face her. "I personally think you and Kelly would be awesome together. So, here's some advice. Kelly loves a challenge. And that whole white knight thing you pulled on the beach is helping your cause. She's been _looking_ at you differently. And if she sees that someone as equally awesome like Tori is interested in you, then when this whole charade is over, you will look totally dateable in her eyes."

Cam looked at Dustin.

"Totally," Dustin agreed.

Cam sighed, "I doubt Kelly will even get the chance to _notice_ me, because Blake is bound to _kill_ me before it even goes that far."

Marah squealed excitedly, "Is that a yes?"

Cam made a face, "yes."

…

_**October 11, 2004:**_

…

"Why does it matter?" Hunter asked.

Blake frowned, "do you have to be difficult?"

"Yes," Hunter stated simply.

Blake made a face. "Just answer the question, Hunter! Are Tori and Cam _dating_?"

Hunter shrugged. "Maybe."

Blake stared daggers at him. "Yes or no?"

"Maybe," Hunter repeated. "She doesn't tell me _everything_ you know."

"What about Cam? Did _he_ say something?" Blake inquired.

"If he did, then that would be in confidence," Hunter smirked. "And I can't betray his trust like that."

Blake fumed, "but I'm your _brother_!"

"Yeah, well I wouldn't know it given the way you've been _acting_ recently," Hunter snapped.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Blake demanded.

"You know_ exactly_ what I mean," Hunter groused. "It means I don't even _recognize_ you anymore!"

"You're overreacting," Blake muttered.

"Oh, really?" Hunter challenged. "If I'm overreacting then explain to me why you covered for _Kapri_ yesterday? She obviously _pushed_ Kelly! It was written all over her face!"

"I'm not covering for anyone," Blake shotback. "And for the last time Hunter, it was an _accident_! Nobody _pushed_ anyone!"

"I can't believe that you'd stand there and just _lie_ to my face," Hunter distressed. "And for _Kapri_ of all people!" he threw his hands up into the air, "Like I said – I don't even _know_ who you are anymore!"

…

_**October 12, 2004:**_

…

It didn't matter how many times she apologized to Kelly the events on the balcony continued to haunt Kapri.

And Kelly, Kapri thought sadly, poor, sweet Kelly had deluded herself into second guessing herself the night of the fall. To Kapri's horror, Kelly too, had lapped up Blake's version of events.

Kapri buried her head in her hands, wanting nothing more than to cry.

"Excuse me."

Kapri flinched at the sound of the voice, looked up and did a double take. The boy that stood in front of her looked down at her in concern.

Kapri's mouth fell open in shock, she gave him a once over. Not because he was handsome, but because of his eerie similarity to Hunter. Anyone who knew Hunter could have easily confused the two.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, as he took in Kapri's jilted expression. "I didn't mean to scare you. It's just that you looked so sad, and I just wanted to help."

Kapri said nothing, but still stared at him in wonder.

He smiled suddenly, and the feeling of recognition pulled somewhere at the deep recesses of her mind. His smile was like a distant memory. Where had she seen it before?

"My name's Matt," he continued, despite the fact that Kapri still hadn't uttered a word to him. "And you are?"

She finally found her voice. "Kapri," she introduced.

"Hi Kapri," Matt beamed, while flashing a quick, fluttery wave in her direction.

Kapri arched an eyebrow. Boy was he ever chipper, she thought to herself. It was then that she realized how depressed she must have looked. No wonder he's so chatty, she thought, he probably thinks I might try and off myself.

"I'm alright," she stated with the wave of her hand. "Thanks. I'm just a little upset that's all."

"Well that's unfortunate," Matt breezed. "You need to find away to shake your negativity. Go to a movie, or take a walk in the park, or just hang out with some friends."

Kapri smirked despite herself, "negativity?" she uttered. "You're not from around here are you?"

"No I'm not," Matt smiled. "I'm a drifter. I'm just passing through. I'm here with my cousins."

"Aren't drifter's _loners_?" Kapri asked despite herself.

Matt laughed, "Well then consider me and my crew the new breed of drifters."

Kapri laughed.

Matt beamed at that, "and she _laughs_. _See_, I helped to cheer you up now didn't I?"

"Yes you did," Kapri agreed.

"Well then I guess my work here is done," Matt smiled. "Parting is such sweet sorrow," he grinned. He flashed her a quick wave and began to walk away.

Kapri stood up quickly, "wait!"

Matt stopped and turned to look at her.

"Have you come across Kelly's? It's a-"

"Nightclub," Matt finished. "Yes. I've _heard_ of it."

"I'm friends with the owner," Kapri explained. "You and your…crew," Kapri stated carefully with a smile. Matt grinned.

"You guys should come by," Kapri continued.

Matt beamed, "I might take you up on that," he waved and walked away.

Kapri watched him go in awe. "How could someone who looks so much like _Hunter _be so _sweet_?"

…

_**October 13, 2004:**_

…

"Hey," Cam greeted as he approached Hunter.

Hunter flashed him a bright grin, and turned around, "where have you been? I haven't seen you since Kelly's birthday party."

Cam arched on eyebrow, "Have you failed to notice the daggers Blake has been shooting at me? He looks as though he wants to _kill_ me!"

"Yeah, well serves him right," Hunter smirked. "What made you change your mind anyways? I thought you were dead set against pretending to be Tori's boyfriend."

"I was," Cam shrugged. "But me pretending to be her boyfriend sort of seemed to help cheer her up."

"That's because she gets to wreak payback on Blake," Hunter noted.

"Yeah, well can you _blame_ her?" Cam asked.

"No," Hunter agreed. "This was _my_ idea after all."

Cam laughed, "I believe it was _Kapri's_."

"Not the point - it doesn't matter _who_ thought it all up," Hunter waved a hand dismissively, "what matters is that Blake is bound to crack. And when he does, he'll realize what a huge jerk he's been, and what a colossal mistake he's made, and he'll go running to Tori and beg at her feet for forgiveness."

Cam smirked despite himself, "That's a bit _dramatic_, don't you think?"

Hunter shrugged, "anything else would be _boring_."

…

"So?" Kelly question, as she watched Tori carefully. "You and _Cam_, hunh? When did this happen?"

Tori shrugged, "I don't know. It just sort of…happened."

"Uh hunh," Kelly ragged, "and this has nothing to do with Blake and his new _lady friend_."

Tori turned to look at her through narrowed eyes, "What are you implying?"

Kelly sighed, "I just think that Cam is a good guy who doesn't deserved to be _used_. He's your _friend_ Tori. You should know better!"

"I am not _using_ Cam," Tori retorted. "And why do _you_ care anyways."

"Because he's my friend to," Kelly defended.

"You sure that's the _only_ reason you're acting all defensive," Tori challenged.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Kelly blanched.

Tori shrugged, "I'd tell you, but it seems to me that you're still figuring it out."

…

_**October 14, 2004:**_

…

Kapri awoke with a start. The smell of the sea burned her nose, and her face felt as though it were resting on sandpaper.

He eyes flew open, and it took her a few seconds to allow her eyes to adjust to her surroundings.

She looked around the beach in confusion. Panic enveloped her.

How did I end up out here, she thought with dread.

Her eyes focused on the house that loomed before her.

She racked her brain, positive that she had fallen asleep in the sanctity of her bed.

So how did I end up in front of the boys' beach house?

…

Shane hummed a song under his breath as he poured himself a glass of orange juice.

It had only been a few days, but the dreams had seemed to stop. He felt rested and happier.

Taking a gulp of juice from his glass, he headed back to his room. He searched the vicinity with his eyes, until it fell on his skateboard. The plan was to meet everyone at the vert ramp, then head over to the race track, and then head back to the beach. Tomorrow the Dino rangers were returning home, and he'd be damned if he let them return without a proper Blue Bay experience.

He picked up his skateboard, grabbed a hoodie, and began to exit his room. His eyes fell on his useless morpher and Shane stalled.

But this time instead of frowning like he did earlier when he had first lost his powers, he found himself smiling. Things were going to be better, Shane realized, and with that he headed out to start his day.

…

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!" Connor held his hands up, and followed Ethan and Kira into Kelly's. "You're nineteen, right?"

Kelly nodded.

"And you guys can drink?" Kira asked.

Cam smiled, "The legal age to drink and gamble is seventeen in Blue Bay."

"Awh man," Connor whined. "Now why can't Reefside be like that?"

…

"Hey Kapri!"

Kapri spun around, and turned to face the person who had garnered her attention. Next to her Tori did a double take.

Kapri smiled a bright smile; she pointed a finger at the boy in front of her, "Matt, right?"

"Yeah," Matt beamed; behind him stood five teenagers.

"Glad you could make it," Kapri greeted. She pointed to the people standing behind Matt, "Your cousins?"

"Yup," Matt chirped. He ushered his cousins to come closer, "allow me to introduce you to Paige," he pointed to a girl with ivory skin, bright blue eyes and a thick mane of long, tussled, dark brown hair. Paige smiled brightly and waved at Kapri and Tori.

"Austin," Matt continued. Austin was obviously mixed; his features were distinctly Filipino. Austin nodded at Kapri and Tori in greeting.

"Faith and Hope," the twins that stood before them were gorgeous. They had caramel skin and hazel eyes; the only thing that differentiated the two was their hair. Both girls had dyed their hair – Faith's was the color of red velvet cupcakes, and Hope's was the color of warm honey. They both smiled at Tori and Kapri radiantly in greeting.

"and this is Noah," Matt concluded while smacking the said boy on the back. Like Austin, Noah too was obviously mixed, but while Austin's features were a blend of American and Filipino, Noah's was a blend of American and Japanese.

"Hello," Noah greeted politely.

"It's nice to meet you all," Kapri greeted; she motioned to Tori, "this is my friend Tori."

"Hi," Tori greeted.

"So Matt tells us a friend of yours owns this place," Noah asked.

"Yeah," Kapri explained. "Follow me. I'll introduce you. Kelly always feels the need to greet each and every one of her customers."

…

"So," Kelly pressed as she sided up to Marah, "what's the deal with you and Dustin?"

Marah furrowed her eyebrows; confused, "hunh?"

"What _happened_ on that _trip_ that you all went to, and failed to invite me to?" Kelly continued.

Marah grimaced. Kelly had been fed a false tale about a road trip gone horribly wrong, while searching for her birthday supplies. It had seemed to lull her questions at the time, but the hurt of being left alone and the drastic changes in everyone's behaviour's still seemed to be at the surface.

"I'm sorry," Marah apologized. "But we only took that trip, because we were trying so hard to find a good location for your planned big birthday bash," Marah continued the lie, "it's not our fault that Cam's GPS led us astray."

Kelly sighed, "I know. It's just that, it seems like _a lot_ happened on that trip. I mean, Blake's back, Dustin no longer avoids you like the plague, Cam and Tori are dating, Shane doesn't seem so tense anymore, and Kapri seems depressed."

Marah blinked, "Kapri is what?"

"Haven't you noticed," Kelly questioned, "something's definitely bothering her."

Marah frowned; ashamed that she hadn't paid more attention to her sister, "no I haven't."

…

Tori balled the napkin she held in her hand into her fist and made a face as she watched Blake slow dance with Kira.

"Now what did that napkin ever do to you?" Connor asked suddenly, appearing at her side.

Tori jumped at his unannounced presence.

Connor laughed, "Sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to startle you."

Tori smiled and waved a hand airily, "its okay," she dismissed.

"Are you alright," Connor asked.

Tori spotted Cam heading her way. She smiled brightly, and turned to face Connor. "I'm fantastic," Tori grinned broadly, like a cat that swallowed a canary.

…

Shane grinned and watched from the sidelines as he watched Hunter and some random girl flirt shamelessly by the bar.

When the conversation seemed close to finish, he approached the two just as the girl shoved a piece of paper at Hunter.

He could hear her whisper 'call me,' as she departed.

Shane smiled and approached the former crimson ranger. He feigned innocence, "any luck?"

Hunter grinned and waved the piece of paper like a badge of honour.

Shane arched an eyebrow, "you're getting better at that," he noted. "I remember when you couldn't speak to a girl to save your life."

Hunter scoffed, "I was born a ladies' man."

Shane laughed, "Dude, you used to bore girls to tears when you were a ranger. Don't you remember? It was all so tragic."

Hunter smacked him in the arm, hard.

…

Blake frowned. He was about to lead Kira off the dance floor, but then another slow song started, and to his dismay, he found himself watching Tori snuggle closer to Cam as they swayed together on the dance floor.

He grabbed Kira, startling her in the process, and led her back to the dance floor.

"I thought you wanted a drink," Kira asked.

"Changed my mind," Blake replied simply.

Kira flashed him a radiant smile and draped her arms over his shoulder, and began to sway.

…

"Hi," Kelly beamed. "It's so nice to meet you. And you say you're all _drifters_?"

The teens nodded at her.

"What about your parents?" Dustin asked.

"They're not around," Faith explained.

The smile on Dustin's face fell, "oh," he stated smally. "I didn't mean to…" he trailed of awkwardly.

Matt grinned, "Don't worry about it. How could you know?" Hunter narrowed his eyes at him, and watched him carefully.

"And you're all cousins?" Shane asked.

Hope laughed, "Well, I'm assuming _Kapri_ told you that."

"That's what _Matt_ said," Kapri explained. "Is that not true?"

"_I'm_ related to _all_ of them," Matt informed, and then added mischievously, "unfortunately."

"It's unfortunate for _us_, dude," Paige jibbed.

Austin grinned broadly at that and nodded.

"So what's the relation," Kelly asked while waving her pointed index fingers - demanding answers.

Noah groaned, "You'll be here all night. It's such a tangled web."

"Try me," Kelly persisted.

"I'd obey her," Shane explained. "She's all sorts of nosy and all sorts of scary if she doesn't get her way."

Kelly gasped and smacked him.

"It's true," Dustin joked.

Kelly faked tears, and whined, "You're all so mean."

Everyone laughed.

Matt ushered Noah forward, "you're the smart one. You do the honours."

Noah shook his head and smirked, "oh alright," he agreed. "So," he began, pointing at Matt as he spoke, "Let's start with Matt. Matt is related to everyone. Hope and Faith's mom, Paige's mom, and Matt's mom are sisters."

Everyone nodded, conveying that they were following.

"Austin's father and Matt's father are brothers," Noah continued. "And my father and Matt's mother are cousins."

Dustin shook his head, "You totally lost me."

"That _is_ a tangled web," Shane agreed.

"That's just the _tip_ of the iceberg," Matt informed.

"Um," Noah decided, "Paige." He chose. "Paige is dating Austin - No relation to each other obviously."

"But they're both related to me," Matt groused, "so it's still hella weird."

Noah nudged him, "shut up."

Matt made a face at him, "he's only backing Austin and Paige up because he's dating Hope."

"Again," Noah defended, "no relation."

"It's _still_ weird," Matt explained.

Paige smirked, "only for you dude."

Kelly shook her head, "I feel like I'm watching a soap."

…

"How does he look," Tori asked Cam.

Cam shot a quick look over Tori's shoulder, and then faced her with a brilliant grin, "pissed."

Tori giggled despite herself, "great."

Cam shook his head and laughed.

…

"So," Hunter questioned suddenly, causing Kapri to look up at him alarmed.

"Do you have like some warped crush on me or something," he nodded towards Matt in order to make a point.

"What the hell are you blabbering about," Kapri groaned.

"Are you two _dating_ or what?" Hunter asked.

"Why is that _any_ of your business," Kapri shrieked despite herself.

"He looks a lot like me," Hunter noted. "That's a bit sick, don't you think."

Kapri rolled her eyes, and pushed him aside, "oh shove off," she smarted, before walking away.

…

"and then Paige pantsed him in front of the _entire_ class," Noah explained, finishing the anecdote he was telling.

Shane and Kelly laughed loudly.

"Poor Austin," Kelly said, dabbing at the tears that had sprung to her eyes from laughing so hard.

"Speaking of…" Shane trailed off, his eyes falling on Austin as Noah began another tale about his crew. Shane excused himself, and headed over to Austin.

Austin was staring at the dance floor with the most peculiar look on his face.

"Hey," Shane greeted. Austin started, and turned to look at him confused, but then smiled.

"You okay?" Shane asked.

"I'm good," Austin waved off, "I just _saw_ something that threw me off guard."

"Oh?" Shane pondered.

Austin straightened abruptly as if suddenly remembering something, he faced Shane and smiled, "Is Noah still talking Kelly's ear off?"

"I think she quite _enjoys_ it," Shane grinned.

"Hey," yelled a far off voice.

Shane and Austin turned to find Cam and Tori approaching them.

"Who's your friend," Tori asked looking at Austin.

Austin seemed to look at her and Cam with peculiar interest, after a beat he extended his hand, "the name's Austin."

Tori took his hand and shook it, "I'm Tori. But I still don't-"

Cam straightened suddenly and looked past Austin, "_who_ is Kelly talking too?"

"That my friend Noah," Austin explained.

Cam frowned.

Tori arched an eyebrow and looked at Shane.

"I'll be right back," Cam muttered, before walking off.

Austin grinned; his smile was like a secret.

"I'll explain," Shane said, turning to Tori.

…

"I should go find Connor and Ethan," Kira told Blake, just as his phone rang.

Blake looked at his cell phone and frowned.

"Is something wrong," Kira asked.

Blake shook his head, "no," he explained. "But there's something I need to take care of. Don't leave without me, kay?"

Kira flashed him a warm smile, "okay."

He squeezed her arm lightly, and as luck had it, he caught Hunter's eye.

Hunter approached him without a word; somehow managing to realize that Blake had needed his help from across the room. A twinge of despair pulled at Blake's heart. He hadn't realized how much he had missed Hunter's presence until now. No one seemed to understand him like Hunter did.

"What do you need?" Hunter asked, appearing in front of Blake.

Blake shook the feelings of sadness out of his mind, "keep her company," he told Hunter, while motioning to Kira.

Hunter furrowed his eyebrows at Blake - confused.

"I'll be right back," Blake explained. "Sensei needs to see me."

Hunter nodded. The mention of Sensei's name alone caused Hunter to obey Blake. "Well don't keep him waiting," Hunter said. He offered his arm to Kira, "and don't worry about this one," he nodded towards Kira.

Kira smiled in response.

"She's in good hands."

…

"_Drifters,_ hunh?" Cam questioned. Kapri flinched at the sound of his voice. Cam wasn't even _trying_ to hide his dislike for Noah right now. The fact that Kelly had warmed up to the boy was seriously irking Cam.

"So how _long_ are you guys staying in Blue Bay?" he continued.

"I'm _liking_ it here," Noah responded, his tone cheerful. If he noticed Cam's hostility, he sure as hell wasn't showing it. "I think we might stick around for a while. Whataya think Matt?"

Matt nodded, "I agree."

Kelly clapped her hands together excitedly, "great. Well make sure you guys drop by Kelly's _every _weekend."

Noah and Matt laughed.

"We'll try," Noah promised, "But I can't speak for everyone. So _I_ promise to be here every weekend."

Kelly beamed, "Awesome. And you know what? Drinks are on the house for you and your crew!"

Cam frowned as he watched Kelly continue to laugh and talk with Noah.

Kapri couldn't help but feel guilty as she watched him reach for his beer off of the counter, and turn to walk away.

…

"So," Paige questioned suddenly startling Marah. She hadn't even noticed that Paige had been standing behind her.

"Oh?" Marah spun around to face her and smiled brightly, "Hey. Hi."

"Hi," Paige greeted. "So," she continued, "you and that Dustin guy? Are you _dating_?"

"Um," Marah's eyes widened in shock, "no," she said carefully, watching Paige for telltale signs. "Why? Aren't you dating _Austin_? Are you _interested_ in Dustin?"

Paige's face contorted into something that looked like horror, she held up her hands in surrender,

"No, no, no, no!"

Marah took offence, "why? Is Dustin not good enough for you?"

"Like you said," Paige blurted. "I _have_ a boyfriend. I'm not the cheating type. I was just wondering, dude. Really."

Marah relaxed a bit, "okay?" she stated confused. "Why the interest?"

"I'm just trying to figure you all out," Paige explained.

Marah blinked, unable to make right or left of her explanation.

"Hey dudes," Dustin greeted as he and Shane approached - causing Marah to forget what she and Paige had been discussing.

"Anyone care for a drink?" Shane offered.

Paige nodded happily, "I'd love one."

…

"Sensei?" Blake greeted as he entered the lounge of the ninja academy. It had been months since he had last been here; it felt like a lifetime ago.

The sudden movement ahead, indicated that Sensei was approaching.

Blake went rigid on reflex, and awaited Sensei's words.

"Blake," Sensei greeted warmly.

"You wanted to see me," Blake asked.

"Yes," Sensei informed. "I have something _important_ that I'd like to ask of you."

"Name it," Blake commanded.

Sensei arched an eyebrow, "just like that? Name it and you'll _obey_?"

"Yes," Blake stated matter-of-factly.

"Maybe you should _hear _what it is that I'm asking of you before you consent to fulfill my wishes," Sensei warned.

Blake shook his head stubbornly, "whatever it is, I shall do as you say."

Sensei nodded impressed, "alright," he caved. "You don't have any upcoming races for quite some time, am I right?"

Blake nodded, "that's right."

"Then I would appreciate it if you _stayed_ in Blue Bay until it is time for your next race," Sensei requested.

Blake blanched, despite himself.

"Your friends need you," Sensei continued. "Therefore, you must stay."

…

"Yo Kira," Ethan bellowed. "You ready?"

"Yeah," Kira agreed, "But I'm still waiting on Blake."

"Kay, Kay," Ethan nodded; the music changed tempo suddenly, and he danced off without a word. Kira laughed as she watched him go.

Hunter returned and handed her a drink, "here you go."

"Thanks," Kira thanked; she took a sip of her grasshopper and smiled, "these are _so_ good."

Hunter grinned, "Why do I get the feeling that you don't usually do this?"

Kira laughed, "You mean go clubbing? Drinking? Dancing till past midnight? I'm surprised _you guys_ do this? I mean you're a _ninja_!"

"You make it sound like I'm a _priest_," Hunter laughed.

Kira giggled at that, "my bad."

Hunter smiled brightly, but then the smile slowly started to fade from his face. Kira watched him carefully as it did. "Something wrong?" she asked.

Hunter pursed his lips, after a beat he shrugged, "it's not my place."

Kira blinked, "what's that suppose to mean?"

Hunter shook his head, "forget it," he dismissed, and then downed the rest of his beer.

Kira wasn't having it, "no!" she insisted. "Tell me. What's wrong?"

Hunter made a face and debated for a few moments, "It's about you," he enunciated the words, "and Blake."

"Me and Blake?" Kira questioned. "What about us?"

"Look," Hunter frowned. "I'm sorry, but I need to tell you this. And even though Blake is going to hate me for doing this, you on the other hand deserve the truth."

Kira swallowed hard and watched Hunter tentatively.

"He's using you," Hunter blurted quickly, forcing himself to say the words. "I don't think he even _realizes_ that he's doing it, but he is. He's trying to distract himself from his _true_ feelings."

"Why are you telling me this?" Kira asked; her voice suddenly hoarse.

"Because," Hunter reasoned. "I understand Blake better than Blake understands himself. He's my brother, and I love him. And Tori is my friend, and I love her. And I hate seeing them act this way."

"Tori?" Kira asked, confused.

Hunter grimaced. Crap, he thought to himself silently. He'd let it slip out. But there was no going back now. "Yeah," Hunter admitted. "Blake is in love with Tori. Whether he admits it to himself or not…"

Kira opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by Connor's presence. "There you are," he greeted. He caught sight of Hunter, "Oh, hey man!"

Hunter nodded at him, and looked at Kira worriedly. Kira was already slipping off the stool.

"You ready?" Connor asked her. "We should really head back. Ethan's got the suitcases out front. Everyone is already waiting for us in front of Kelly's."

Kira nodded at him, "I'm right behind you."

Connor turned to Hunter and slapped him on the back, "thanks for everything man. This was so fun!"

Hunter grinned, "Glad you enjoyed yourself." He met Kira's gaze, and she reached for his hand. She gave it a light squeeze. "Thanks," she mouthed.

Hunter nodded at her easily, and watched as she disappeared behind Connor into the crowd. He picked up another beer and took a swig, before deciding to follow them out of Kelly's.

…

"Hey," Marah whispered, coming to stand in front of her sister.

Everyone had gathered in front of Kelly's to bid goodbye to the dino rangers. Everyone except Kelly, thankfully she was currently occupied with Matt and his crew to notice that everyone had disappeared outside.

"So," Marah prodded, much to her sister's dismay. "Is there anything you'd like to talk about?"

Kapri looked at her confused, "No."

Marah frowned, "Kap? Kelly told me about your strange behaviour."

Kapri looked at her with wide eyes, "What!"

"She says that you've seemed depressed lately," Marah explained.

Kapri relaxed.

"What's going on?" Marah pressed.

"It's nothing, Marah," Kapri dismissed.

"Kap…"

"Seriously, Marah!" Kapri snapped. "Leave it alone. I'm fine!"

Hurt coloured Marah's features.

"Sorry," Kapri apologized. "But honestly. I'm fine. And I promise to come to you if I'm not."

Marah seemed to take comfort in that, "promise?"

Kapri smiled, and swatted Marah's arm lightly, "I promise."

…

"Hey," Blake shouted running towards his group of friends. "Sorry."

"Where have you been," Connor asked.

"Where are your bags?" Ethan questioned.

Kira nodded her head with understanding, "you're _not_ coming, are you?"

Blake shook his head, "no."

Shane furrowed his eyebrows, "I don't understand."

"I had to go see Sensei," Blake explained. "He wants me to stick around here _until_ I have to return to work."

Tori blanched.

Dustin's grin was huge, "Awhh-some!" He ran over to Blake and slapped him on the back. "This is going to be just like old times.

Blake grinned lightly at that, "I guess." He turned to the dino rangers, "sorry guys."

"No prob," Connor shrugged, he shook Blake's hand, "We'll see you sooner than later."

Ethan pumped his fist, "That's right! Thanksgiving, baby!"

Everyone laughed.

Blake met Kira's gaze, "Um, can I talk to you _alone_ for a minute."

Kira seemed to hesitate. After a beat, she nodded, and followed him away from the group.

Tori watched them go through clear blue eyes that were slowly filling with tears.

…

Austin watched Noah and Kelly babble by the bar, observantly.

"Hey," Matt greeted, bumping his shoulder as he came to a stop on his left.

"Are they still outside?" Austin asked; his tone sounded a million miles away.

Matt nodded, "they're saying their goodbyes to the dino rangers as we speak."

"Do you think they _suspect_ a thing?" Austin questioned.

Matt shook his head, "Hope and Faith didn't pick up any vibes of the sort."

"Good," Austin noted.

Paige approached the two boys, and draped her hands over their shoulders. "So how long," she inquired. "Do we leave for Reefside now?"

"Noah said it should happen in about a month," Matt explained, "And no. We have to wait a little while longer before we leave Blue Bay Harbour."

Paige made a face, "I just want to go home."

"If we don't do what we came here to do," Austin reminded, "we won't _have_ a home to return to."

…

"I'm sorry," Blake apologized. "But we can make this work. Long distance isn't is so-"

"Blake," Kira interrupted. "We need to talk."

Blake went mute and stared at her confused, "okay?"

…

_**October 15, 2004:**_

…

Kapri had never been one to sleepwalk, so when she found herself standing on the front steps of the beach house in nothing but her nightgown, she found herself feeling completely helpless.

The cold night air seeped into her skin, and caused her to shiver.

She could feel tears well in her eyes, while she looked around confused.

What the hell is happening to me, she cried mentally.

…

"They're continuing to look into it," Sensei updated Shane. "Hayley called this morning to inform me that they're still searching, but they have it in good authority that Lothor should not be a threat to us no more. They are positive that Mesogog has defeated Lothor himself."

Shane nodded, "I'll inform the others." He bowed and began to walk away, when Sensei stopped him suddenly.

"Shane."

Shane paused, and turned to face Sensei, "Yes Sensei?"

Sensei stared at him attentively, "You seem more at ease," he noted.

Shane blinked, but then grinned. "I feel more at ease."

Sensei nodded easily, "I'm glad."

Shane bowed again before leaving.

…

"You're an ass!" Blake yelled.

Hunter chased after him, "Just hear me out!"

"You had _no_ right to tell Kira what you did," Blake fumed, spinning around to stare Hunter down. "No right!"

"Blake would you ple-"

"I don't know what you _think_ Tori and I are," Blake continued to tear into Hunter, "but that sort of thinking needs to _stop_."

"I_ know_ you," Hunter reasoned.

"Oh do you?" Blake mocked.

"Yes," Hunter shotback.

"No Hunter," Blake seethed, "I don't think you do. Because if you _did_ you'd _realize_ that I do _not_ love Tori."

"You're lying to yourself," Hunter informed.

"No," Blake raged. "You're lying to yourself."

Hunter blinked.

"I'm not some little kid that needs to be protected Hunter," Blake vexed, "So please, stop telling me what to do. Stay the hell away!"

…

_**October 17, 2004:**_

…

"Oh? Hey Hunter," Tori greeted while plastering a fake smile on to her face. "I didn't see you there."

Hunter stared back at her speechless.

Tori took his silence as an order to say something, "Don't forget that Kelly wants us all to be at Storm Chargers tomorrow. She wants us to draw costumes for her Halloween party.

Hunter nodded, stoically.

"Um," Tori bided uncomfortably, "I'll see you later?"

Hunter nodded wordlessly.

Tori fled from the forest, with bloodshot eyes; trying desperately to hide the used tissues she had scrunched into the depths of her palms.

Hunter watched her go with a pained expression. The only reason he had found Tori, was because he had heard her crying.

…

_**October 18, 2004:**_

…

"You cannot be serious, Marah!" Kelly squealed.

"Why not?" Marah questioned. "I want candy. There's no reason I can't get some."

"Then go to the store and _buy_ some," Cam reasoned. "Or you'll bring shame upon our family."

Shane cackled at that.

Dustin shrugged, "I think it sounds like fun."

"Of course you do," Hunter mocked.

"What?" Dustin defended. "There's no rule about being too old to go trick or treating."

"Then _you_ go with her," Kapri offered.

Dustin smiled and looked at Marah, "is that an invitation?"

Marah beamed, "is that a yes?"

"Well if you're going trick or treating," Kelly sighed, "then make sure you get it out of the way early. You still have my party to attend."

"Yes mom," Dustin agreed.

Kelly made a face at him and scoffed, "Whatevers," she breezed, "anyways, let's just do what we came here to do." She pulled out a velvet pouch and held it out to her friends, "dig in."

"Why can't we just _choose_ our own costumes," Hunter complained.

"Where's the fun in that?" Kelly smirked. "This way is far more amusing."

Cam reached into the pouch and drew a slip. He looked at it, scrunched his face with indifference, and turned to Kelly, "What if we don't like what we got? What if we showed up to your party in a costume of our own choosing?"

"I would disown you," Kelly explained easily with a grin. She turned the pouch towards Shane, "your turn."

…

"I know you," Tori exclaimed, pointing to the boy in front of her.

"Yeah," Austin smiled, "we met at your friends club. Your friend Kapri invited my cousin Matt, and he brought me along."

"Right," Tori stated matter-of-factly. "It's good to see you. So you're still in town I see."

"Yeah," Austin nodded, "couldn't bring myself to leave."

…

"Missed you at Kelly's," Hunter noted, collapsing on the couch as he said so. "Where were you at?"

"I was _busy_," Blake muttered.

"Busy _avoiding_ Tori you mean," Hunter shotback.

Blake rolled his eyes and groaned, "You just won't give up."

"She wasn't there either," Hunter replied, ignoring Blake.

"I don't care," Blake garbled, stalking out of the room.

Hunter frowned.

…

_**October 22, 2004:**_

…

"Rocen svern!"

"Rocen svern!"

"Rocen svern!"

Shane eyes flew open; confused, "What the hell!"

"Majak ve dout morpher!"

Shane peered into the darkness of his bedroom. The clock on his nightstand signified that it was 3:07 am. It took his eyes a few seconds to adjust, but when they did, he spotted Kapri standing at the foot of his bed. She was dressed in a simple light pink nightgown. Her blonde hair shone bright in the faint moonlight.

Shane's throat went dry. He looked at her confused, "Kapri?"

The voice that escaped her chilled him to the bone, "Majak ve dout morpher!"

Shane got out of his bed and approached her cautiously. Although the room was dark, the faint glimmer of moonlight that spilled through his windows was enough to give Shane a glimpse of her face. He smirked despite himself realizing that she was asleep.

Shane knew better than to wake her. It was dangerous to wake a sleepwalker. He stood silently waiting for her to wake on her own, but in an action that surprised him, Kapri moved suddenly, and lunged at him.

…

Hunter awoke with a start.

The sudden noise of a crash had waked him up. When the noise sounded again, followed by a yelp, he realized that something was wrong. He sprung out of bed instantly, and followed the noise.

When he arrived in the living room, it took him a few seconds to realize that the noise was coming from Shane's room.

Hunter braced himself, and charged.

…

Forgetting all reason, Shane grabbed Kapri and shook her. He knew he shouldn't have done it, but he had to throw caution out the window. Sure it was dangerous to wake a sleepwalker, but if he didn't do something fast; Kapri would become a danger to _him_.

Her fingers closed around his neck, and that ghostly voice escaped her once again, ""Majak ve dout morpher!"

"Kapri wake up!" Shane tried to pry her off of him, but she was impossibly strong.

"Majak ve dout morpher!" she growled again; her voice hurt Shane's ears.

Shane began to panic; all ninja training escaping him.

"Majak ve dout morpher!"

Shane struggled against her, "Kapri wake up!"

She didn't wake, but whatever horror had claimed her seemed to pass. Her body went limp suddenly and she collapsed against him.

Shane breathed a sigh of relief, and sat silently on the floor.

A loud thud thundered against his bedroom door suddenly, and it took everything in Shane not to scream. He peered into the dark and found a befuddled Hunter staring at him.

Hunter went rigid suddenly, and by the tone of his voice, he was sure the former crimson ranger was in fact blushing crimson. "Sorry," Hunter stammered, "I heard a noise, and I thought…my bad."

It was then that Shane became acutely aware to the fact that he was wearing nothing but boxers, clutching a very less than clad Kapri, and panting heavily. It didn't help matters that she was draped across him, and that was bound to paint quite the picture in Hunter's mind.

"It isn't what it looks like," Shane protested.

Hunter held his hand up in surrender, "whatever floats your boat man."

Shane opened his mouth to reason with him, but Hunter had already left.

…

Marah stared at the open front door of the beach house; confused.

The sudden silhouette at the front doors, threw her into defence mode.

She relaxed when she got a better look at the figure that was quickly approaching her, and sighed. "Shane?"

As he neared her she realized that he was carrying her sister in his arm.

Marah gasped. "Oh my god!"

She ran towards Shane, and came to a stop in front of him, "What happened? Is she alright?"

"I think so," Shane explained. He followed Marah into Kapri's room, and put her on her bed. "Does she always go into attack mode when she sleepwalks?"

Marah furrowed her eyebrows and blinked. After a beat, she brightened. "Oh, that?" Marah dismissed through a fake smile. She waved her hand breezily. "She only does that when she's stressed."

"So this has _happened_ before?" Shane asked, arching an eyebrow.

Marah nodded, "Yeah. She must have forgotten to lock her door tonight. It's nothing to be alarmed about."

Shane itched to protest, but something told him that it was better to leave things alone. He didn't know where the thought had sprung from, but the feeling that he shouldn't question Marah nor push the matter, was strong. It enveloped him completely, to the point where he found himself nodding despite himself. "Okay," Shane dismissed. "But you should keep a closer eye on her."

Marah plastered another fake smile on her face, "will do."

Shane waved, "goodnight."

Marah smiled, "night," she bided. She watched him leave, and the smile fell from her face. Marah knew better than anyone that Kapri never sleepwalked a day in her life.

She turned to look at her sister.

She took a seat gently on the bed beside her, and stroked Kapri's hair lightly. "Oh Kapri," she muttered, "What are you not telling me?"

…

_**October 31, 2004:**_

…

"Ugh!" Dustin complained, "These tights are the worst!"

Marah couldn't help but cackle, "but look how _perfectly_ we match."

Dustin grimaced. Marah was right. He had unfortunately drawn Peter Pan for a costume, and Marah had fortunately gotten Tinkerbell. She looked great, but Dustin felt like a clown. "I hate these tights. They keep riding up."

Marah giggled, "I could have lived without knowing that."

Dustin smirked.

"And look at all the candy we got," Marah breathed happily.

"We still got three more houses, dude," Dustin noted. "And since the others refused to come, I'm not sharing with them."

"We need to find a good hiding place," Marah observed.

"How about pillow cases," Dustin offered.

Marah shrugged, "maybe. But come on. Let's get some more candy. Because we really need to start to head over to Kelly's or we'll risk facing Kelly's wrath."

…

"Check me out" Shane modelled.

Hunter, who was currently dressed as the devil, cackled loudly, "Dude? Honestly!"

"It's real _original_," Shane bragged; he wiggled his eyebrows mischievous. "Don't you looovve it?" he sang.

Hunter stifled a laugh, "I'm going to steer clear of you all night."

Kelly breezed into the room, followed closely by Tori - who tonight was the perfection of Guinevere.

Smiling, Kelly began to strut around the place. She came to stand beside Shane, and the two of them struck a pose.

"Don't we look fabulous," Kelly asked.

Tori shook her head in disbelief and laughed, "Why didn't the two of you trade?"

Shane grinned, "And risk being _average_ like everyone else? Nah."

Cam entered the room dressed in costume. He paused upon entering and looked at Kelly and Shane confused.

Hunter and Tori stifled laughter as they watched the emotions play out on Cam's face.

Shane and Kelly only helped to add to the hilarity, by plastering expectant looks on their faces.

"What's the matter Lancelot?" Shane grinned at Cam.

Cam pointed from Kelly to Shane. "Shouldn't _you_ be Red Riding Hood?" Cam asked Kelly. "And shouldn't _you_ be the Big Bad Wolf?" Cam asked Shane.

"We're trying something new," Shane replied.

"Ch-yeah you are," Hunter smirked, "its called cross-dressing."

…

"Blake!"

Blake spun around, the plastic sword that lay pinned at his side, dug into his skin, causing him to curse unexpectedly.

Dustin froze in his tracks, "I'm sorry. If you don't want to deal with us, we'll just leave…"

Blake waved a hand, "Oh," he laughed, "No that?" he questioned. "Sorry," he apologized, "This stupid thing," he motioned to the sword, "keeps digging into my side every time I move. I wouldn't swear at you," he smirked at Dustin. "Or you," he added to a very tense Marah.

Marah relaxed considerably and smiled, "Good to know," then added, "cool costume. Who are you?"

"Thanks," Blake grinned, "and I'm supposed to be King Arthur?" he said while motioning to the suit.

"Who?" Marah asked as they began to enter Kelly's. The place was packed. They began scanning the vicinity for a familiar face.

Blake grinned despite himself, just as Dustin shrugged, "beats me. Maybe he's part of the royal family."

"Oh," Marah straightened suddenly upon seeing a familiar face, "there's Kapri."

The trio began to head over to her. She was busy talking to two people, both of which had their backs to the three.

"Kapri!" Marah called.

Kapri looked past the duo, caught Marah's gaze, and motioned to the three to join her. The duo she was chatting with spun around, and Marah could see that it was Tori and Cam as she approached.

"Hey," Marah greeted. She nudged Cam and Tori, "cool costumes. Who are you?"

Cam shook his head despite himself, "Lancelot," he said pointing to himself, and then he pointed to Tori, "Guinevere."

Marah looked at Dustin for help, but he looked just as confused as she was. "Whoever you are, you guys look great," he praised.

Tori smiled nervously.

Blake hadn't said anything, and this was the first time she had been in close proximity of him in weeks.

Hunter and Shane appeared suddenly. "Hey," they greeted.

"Anyone want drinks?" Shane asked.

"I would love one," Marah replied.

"Me too," Kapri agreed.

"I'll help you," Dustin told Shane, and the two began to head to the bar. "Be right back," Dustin shouted over his shoulder.

"So, you came," Hunter noted, staring at Blake.

Blake didn't answer him, instead he looked at Kapri, "cool," he noted motioning to her costume, evidently trying to get a rise out of Hunter. "You're the angel to his devil."

Hunter frowned.

Kapri stared at Blake confused, and watched as he walked away. She turned and met Hunter's gaze, he narrowed his eyes at her, causing her to look away.

In a movement that surprised everyone, Tori took off after Blake.

Kapri redirected her gaze towards a friendlier face, but was met by anxious eyes instead.

Kapri arched an eyebrow questioningly. Marah took her hand, "we'll be right back," she told Cam, while pulling Kapri's arm in order to make her sister follow her.

…

"Blake! Wait!" Tori pleaded.

Blake's form went stiff; he spun around to face her, his face etched with indifference. "What?"

Tori flinched at the sound of his voice, but asked, "What was _that_ back there?"

"_You_ tell me?" he blurted back.

Tori furrowed her eyebrows, "I don't understand…"

"Oh, you don't?" Blake mocked. "Why are you following me Tori?"

"I just want to fix…this," Tori explained, unsure of what else to say.

"And what is _this_ exactly," Blake shotback.

Tori was at a loss for words.

Blake made a face at her silence. "You know what? Why don't you just run back to _Cam_, I mean you are _dating_ him aren't you?"

"You say that like it _means_ something to you," Tori snapped.

Blake smirked angrily and shook his head, "no it _doesn't_ mean anything to me; it doesn't matter. Because I don't care! I don't care what _you_ do with your spare time, and _who_ you spend your time with. In fact I'd appreciate it if you weren't using up all of _my_ time by screaming at me for no reason at all."

"No _reason_ at all?" Tori challenged. "Then why act so cold towards me?"

"_I'm_ cold?" Blake mocked. He went silent, looked at the floor and then shook his head. He met her gaze again, and what she saw in his eyes made her throat go dry. "Forget it," he whispered. He turned his back, and began to walk away.

"Blake!" The words had escaped her before she could take them back.

Blake froze, but he didn't turn around. "Your costume suits you," he stated coldly. "Funny how that worked out, hunh?"

Tori felt tears well in her eyes.

Blake walked away briskly, while Tori fled out of Kelly's through the front doors. The exchange between them went unnoticed by the party dwellers.

Everyone that is, except for Hunter.

…

"What?" Kapri sighed, her voice sounded tired.

"Look," Marah badgered, her eyes darting around the place. Her uneasiness transcended into her sister.

Kapri looked back at her panicked, "what?"

"I didn't want to tell you this, because…well. I wasn't sure how'd you take it," Marah explained, "but I realized that I can't keep this to myself any longer. It's making me go crazy. No scratch that. It's making me g-"

"Marah!" Kapri silenced. "Just spit it out!"

"Have you been sleepwalking?" Marah asked. "I mean, have you _noticed_ that you've been sleepwalking?"

Kapri's mouth went dry. She was silent for a few seconds, but then she said, "No."

Marah looked at her taken a back. She scrutinized her sister's face and then frowned, "why are you lying to me."

"I'm not lying," Kapri lied.

"No?" Marah challenged, "You're just refusing to tell me the _truth_."

"Marah," Kapri droned.

"No!" Marah reasoned. "I know that you think that you're protecting me by keeping me in the dark, but you're not! Something's going on with you, isn't it?"

Kapri didn't answer.

Her silence was answer enough for Marah. "I told you," Marah warned. "I told you that I thought something bigger was going on. We _have_ to tell Cam."

"No," Kapri commanded. "I'm handling it, Marah."

"You're not handling it," Marah informed. "Shane brought you home last week in the dead of the night, because you tried to attack him in your sleep!"

Kapri went pale.

"Do you see now," Marah begged. "Do you see why we have to tell Cam?"

"You willing to _risk_ that?" Kapri shotback, "are you willing to let Dustin find out that you were part responsible for opening the abyss."

Marah looked at her through wide blue eyes, "that's blackmail."

"Are you willing to _risk_ that?" Kapri repeated.

Marah was speechless.

Kapri nodded easily, "I thought so."

"Here you are?" Dustin's voice floated over the two suddenly, causing Kapri and Marah to go stiff.

"Here are your drinks," he continued, completely oblivious to the heated discussion that he had unwittingly stumbled upon.

Marah's guilty gaze caused Kapri to flee. "I have to get some air," Kapri bided.

Dustin looked at her retreating form, confused, "is everything alright?"

Marah swallowed hard, "everything's just swell," she replied through a forced smile.

…

Hunter wasn't sure what time it was. Hell he wasn't even sure _where_ he was. All he remembered was grabbing a bottle of Bacardi after witnessing Blake and Tori's heated confrontation.

The ground below his feet felt soft and grainy. It was then that he realized that he had somehow made it to the beach.

He dropped the empty bottle of alcohol and stumbled across the sand. He had a craving for something reckless. It didn't matter _what_ it was, as long as it would help to heal the pain he felt in his heart.

He needed something, _anything_ to help him forget what he had seen.

Unable to find any such solace, he collapsed into the sand, and just lay there in a broken heap.

…

Maybe Marah was right, Kapri thought to herself as she walked by herself up to the lonely path that led to the beach house. Maybe I_ should_ tell Cam.

But Kapri knew that she didn't have the courage to do that. Because if she did tell Cam, she was afraid of not only what he'd think, but what he'd discover.

What if I truly am evil? She questioned herself quietly.

The look on Marah's face of earlier drifted threw her mind, and a wave of guilt washed over her. "Once evil always evil," Kapri muttered out loud.

She had never hated herself as much as she did now.

Sighing; she began to make her way up the path to the beach house, but she found herself halting in her tracks. A figure in the moonlight off in the distance caught her eye. Kapri narrowed her eyes at the heap lying on the beach. Without hesitation she changed direction, and headed towards the beach.

…

Hunter had his eyes closed. He took deep, calming breaths in an attempt to calm his nerves. The salty beach air, seemed to help matters, but the sudden voice near his head caused his blood to boil once again.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

Hunter opened his eyes and found a familiar set of green eyes staring down at him.

Hunter found himself groaning, "go away Kapri!"

Kapri didn't cower, "are you alright?"

Hunter struggled to his feet. Kapri offered a hand to help him, but he shrugged her off. When he gained traction, he staggered despite himself.

Kapri narrowed her eyes at him, "you're drunk."

Hunter smirked lazily, "nah, really?" he mocked. "I hadn't noticed."

Kapri's face scrunched with distaste, "I'm only trying to help."

"I don't _want_ your help," Hunter groused.

"You don't have to be a _jerk_ about it," Kapri shotback.

Hunter faltered at that. The sound of hurt in her voice, reminded him of the look on Tori's face. No wonder Blake was such a prick, Hunter thought pitifully, he obviously picked it up from his dear old big brother.

What a shining example of a gentleman I am, Hunter thought sarcastically. He could hear Kapri quickly retreating. Feeling guilty, he spun around and reached for her arm, but his hands accidentally grabbed at the wings that decorated her back instead. When he pulled, the entire thing broke of tearing a part of her dress with it.

Kapri shrieked in shock.

Hunter didn't know why, but the sight of it, caused him to laugh hysterically.

Kapri narrowed her eyes at him; the moonlight caused them to glow eerily to the point that they looked violet in the faint light. "You ass!" she screamed.

Hunter didn't even try to apologize, he just continued to laugh. He spun around and began to walk away, when the feeling of being yanked, caused him to stop in his tracks. The feeling of being exposed became all too real. Hunter spun around, and found Kapri holding his devil tail in her hands. The back of his costume had ripped, and his boxer's were currently exposed, showcasing the Superman logo across his buttock.

Kapri's smile was a dare, "nice boxers," she mocked.

Hunter's eyes were wide with astonishment. He stared at her for a good whole minute with a vapid expression plastered on to his face. The moment of surprise passed, and his face took on an all too familiar expression of anger and hate. "You bitch!" Hunter spat angry.

Although it was childish, Kapri did it anyways; she kicked hard at the sand suddenly, causing a huge chunk to splash up on Hunter.

She then took off - heading towards the safety of the beach house; capitalizing upon the sudden distraction.

…

She hadn't expected him to take off after her, but he had.

His strong arms closed around her, and he forced her to face him.

His eyes were electrifying; the sight of them turned Kapri's mind to jelly, and she found herself trying desperately to stay calm. It was then that she became very aware of how _drunk_ Hunter was. Panic rose in her chest, and she had to fight the urge not to scream.

Hunter wouldn't dare hurt her, Kapri placated herself mentally. But the look on the former crimson ranger's face had her seriously questioning Hunter's conscience.

She tried to break free from his grasp, but Hunter's hold on her was far too strong. His resistance to let go caused an unexplainable defiance to swell inside her.

Hunter's rage and fury began to mirror in Kapri's eyes.

…

What happened next - neither of them could explain.

The hateful fire that burned them both where they stood evaporated.

The events of the night, had finally reached its breaking point with the two of them tonight, here on the beach.

Hunter found himself tilting his head to the side, and Kapri followed. Or was it Kapri who had moved first. Neither knew, for it all happened so fast. The only thing that both knew for certain was that their lips had met at the exact same time.

…

Hunter's mouth was soft and hard all at once, his hands snaked around her, and he pulled her closer to him - pulling her in, pulling her under.

All of the upset she had suffered during the past month flooded her mind to the point that she found herself kissing him back, even though she hated him, because there was no fighting his kiss - despite of all their bickering.

Kapri was _tired_ of fighting.

She didn't _want_ to fight him tonight.

She relented.

In the past, whatever he threw at her, she could take. Whatever she threw at him, he could take. But tonight, whatever he gave, she accepted. She _wanted_ it.

She _needed_ this.

At the back of her mind, she realized how wrong this was, but she ignored the voice in her head that told her to stop. She didn't care how wrong this was, because some weird part of her couldn't deny how _right_ it felt.

It felt like heaven kissing Hunter. It felt right turning to jelly under him, opening up to him.

Her lips surrendered to him and she found her whole body relaxing in his arms.

It was strange, but for the first time in a long time, she felt _safe_.

The force of his kiss made her feel faint. His kisses were electrifying proving that he truly was a child of thunder.

His weight bore down on her, and she found herself sliding lower and lower onto the soft sand of the beach.

…

* * *_** PLEASE REVIEW **_* * *


	14. November 2004

**First and Foremost: **As always, thanks to those of you who took the time to review; reviews are my drug.

**A/N: **I know, I know, I know. It's been far too long, and I'm SO very very very very very very sorry. Life has been horribly unkind to me in the last few months, but hopefully I'll have made up for my absence by posting this ridiculously long chapter. And in all fairness, this chapter took me like a month to pen.

So, forgive me?

Yes? No?

*awkward pause* …

Anywhoo,

**Time For A Rant:** I've been so swamped with:

- Work (the least of my problems. Shocker, I know.)

- My publications (my agent wants a book done by October 2012. FML!)

- Writing classes (they're a pain, but much needed)

- My other pending fanfics

- Family drama (E.g: two mind destroying sweet 16 b-day parties for two of my cousins, on two separate days within two different months - which took eons to plan. Plus, my uncle's 50th B-day is mid-January, so I'm going to be busy, busy, busy).

AND last but certainly not least,

- New television shows.

Has anyone been watching American Horror Story? That show is wrecking my life. I'm currently fangirling all over the place about that show – its fracken awesome.

Then, there's Grimm, which to be honest was starting to rub me the wrong way, but then I witnessed the most bizarre chemistry between my new two fav couples: 1) Adalind and Nick and then 2) Munroe/Holly – and now I'm obsessed with them … and the plot of course.

Consequently, there's also Once Upon A Time - with its awesome redux on original fairy-tales; complete with stunning backdrops. I need to find me a Prince 'James' Charming or contact the producers at the very least, so that they can write me the perfect guy and cast him into my life.

Then there's Revenge – a spider couldn't weave a more tangled web than that show's plotlines. Side note: I'm madly in love with Nolan Ross.

In addition to that, there are so many more other shows currently destroying my life, but I'm not going to get into that here. I'm a tv-fanatic. A complete list of what I'm currently watching is posted on my profile page, along with my shippings for said shows. You can always PM me about my thoughts.

Don't worry, I don't bite.

Anyways, on to formalities:

**Disclaimer: **Ninja Storm = not mine; though if it were, I would have created a spinoff teen drama entitled: Blue Bay Harbour – and it would have looked a lot like this story.

…

_**November 1, 2004:**_

…

Hunter groaned. The bright sun that hung over him – made it hard for him to open his eyes, and the sound of approaching waves, caused his head to hurt.

He was about to give up his losing race with the sun, and just let sleep claim him once more, when something vaguely registered at the back of his mind.

Something wasn't _right_.

He didn't know why he felt that way. It was hard to place why – but he felt it in his gut.

Something was different.

He struggled to push the weird feeling away, and let sleep win, but the haunting thought kept pestering him.

Half-awake now, he stirred only to be met by a muffled protest. It was then that Hunter realized that he wasn't in his room, and that he wasn't _alone_. Fully alert now, his eyes snapped open – an action he soon regretted, for the sun stung his eyes.

Catching his bearings, he soon became all too aware of the body that lay draped over him; a _naked_ female body.

Normally he would be thrilled by the sight, but something about the situation felt …disturbing. The notion that something was horribly wrong pulled at the back of his mind again.

He struggled to get a glimpse of his one-nightstand's face, but her face was pressed against his chest. Her light blonde hair spilled across his torso.

He finally took in the rest of his surroundings, and soon realized that he was lying on the beach.

_Naked_.

His cloths and _hers_ had been casually scattered along the beach.

Hunter's heart kicked into overdrive. Calm down, he assured himself mentally.

None of this made any sense. Hunter's heart began to beat double time. His mind ran with feverish thoughts.

How the hell had this happened? What was he supposed to do? Wake her up, and thank her for last night? He didn't even know _who_ she was. He couldn't even remember _what_ had happened last night.

Well scratch that, he corrected himself quietly, he had _some_ idea of what had transpired. But why on the beach? Was she really that hot, that he couldn't just _wait_ until they had gotten into his room? The beach house was right _there_, for crying out loud.

He struggled to sit up, but his female companion's weight bore down on him, making movement almost impossible.

He took a deep breath, realizing that he had no choice but to wake her. He just wanted to get the awkwardness out of the way and be done with it.

He sat up quickly this time.

The action caused the girl to stir. She groaned and mumbled something against him, but then she went rigid; the scenario probably having sunk in. She pushed her hair away from her face, her gaze turning to Hunter's.

He finally got a good look at her face.

Hunter paled instantly, the blood draining from his face. He stood up abruptly; pushing her away as if she had some sort of disease, "Oh god! No! No! No! No! No!"

…

"Sleep well?" Marah asked.

Tori rubbed at her eyes, yawned in response, and headed to the fridge.

"You left early?" Marah continued. She dipped her spoon into her bowl full of cereal, and stared at Tori expectantly.

Tori paused at the fridge – going motionless. Her mind drifted back to her argument with Blake.

"Want to talk about it?" Marah asked lightly; her tone gentle - evidently not wanting to push her.

Tori turned around, and shrugged. "I just don't…_understand_ him."

"What happened?" Marah questioned; her voice filled with worry.

"Blake and I had a fight," Tori explained through a huff.

Marah arched an eyebrow, "he finally _spoke_ to you?"

Tori scoffed, "if you could even call it that." She headed over to where Marah sat, and took the seat next to her at the kitchen counter, upon a stool.

"I'm sorry, Tor," Marah sympathized.

Kelly entered the kitchen, her eyes dancing anxiously, "have you guys seen Kapri?"

"She's probably still asleep," Marah breezed.

"She's not in her room," Kelly informed.

Marah's eyes widened, "What?"

"I don't recall her coming in last night?" Tori acknowledged out loud; her features tensing with worry.

"She left around the same time that you did," Marah fretted. She jumped off her stool, and ran towards the landline, dialled a number, and held the receiver to her ear.

Kelly and Tori watched her nervously.

"It's going to voicemail," Marah agonized. After a beat, she added, "Hey Kap. It's me. Where are you? Call me back!"

…

"No! No! No! No! No! This can't be happening," Hunter panicked, struggling to button his pants. His eyes darted across the beach nervously.

"No one saw us," Kapri hissed, straightening the angel dress she had worn last night, back around her body.

"Oh shut up!" Hunter barked. "I can't even…I don't even…" he buried his head in his hands. "How did this happen?"

Kapri rolled her eyes, "Well you see, birds are like men, and bees are like women-"

"Seriously!" Hunter snapped, causing Kapri to go silent. "Does this _excite_ you? Do you purposely get off on _torturing_ me! Why aren't you freaking out?"

Kapri flushed pink and stalled.

Hunter started and looked at her incredulously.

An awkward silence enveloped them, before he broke it. His voice was a silent whisper dipped in denial, "No…?"

Kapri could only stare at him. Her mind went blank.

"No!" Hunter repeated again. "You weren't drunk?"

"I-I-"

"I was _drunk_," Hunter interrupted, seething. "_I_ was drunk!" he rationalized. "How could you-…why would you-…I don't even," he stammered. His head still throbbed; his hangover was starting to get the best of him.

"Hunter I can explain," Kapri took a step towards him, "last night I was fe-"

"I don't need an explanation," he interrupted angrily, taking three steps away from her. "This _never_ happened."

Kapri went quiet.

"We _never_ slept together," Hunter ordered, his voice threatening. "We will _never_ speak about this again."

"But Hunter-"

"Got it!" Hunter ordered. "This _never_ happened." He picked up his crimson shirt, and flung it over his shoulder.

"So you're just going to put this out of your mind," Kapri asked. "_Pretend_ it never happened?"

"I don't even _remember_ what happened," he shotback.

Kapri didn't know how to respond to that. She couldn't even explain why his declaration hurt her. It hit her hard; like the equivalent of being slapped in the face.

Hunter's gaze drifted towards the ocean. The expression he wore mimicked the look of someone who just wanted to jump in and wash themselves clean.

Kapri swallowed hard at that. Is that what he wanted? Was he really _that_ disgusted?

Hunter turned to look at her; murder whispering its way onto his face. His features were dark. She couldn't blame him for being angry. He would have _never_ slept with her willingly. She should have known better.

She met his gaze; her features filled with shame and guilt.

"I guess if I can't remember anything, you mustn't have been that good." Hunter's tone was bitter.

Kapri blinked back tears. She would rather be damned before she ever let him see her cry.

Hunter flashed her a dark glare, before turning around, and stalking off towards the direction of the beach houses.

…

He was in hell; his own personal hell, created by himself and himself only.

Blake crossed his arms over his chest, and tried desperately to comprehend what was being said on the TV. On the couch next to him Shane and Dustin laughed loudly. Apparently something funny had happened, but he had never heard it.

He kept staring at the door, waiting for Cam to step through it.

He had never _hated_ anyone more in his life, than he did Cam right now.

He had wanted to ask, where Cam was, but he was afraid that his inquiry would perk interest and arise questions that he wasn't prepared to answer.

Plus, he had no idea where the hell Hunter was. Blake sulked, and rolled his eyes inwardly. It was like his brother was purposely toying with him. For days Hunter had been all up in his face, and the one time he wanted him around, he was nowhere to be found.

The front door creaked as it opened suddenly, and Blake tried his best to feign disinterest. He tried to spot the new arrival, out of the corner of his eye.

He frowned when realized that it wasn't Cam.

It was Hunter.

"You dog," Dustin greeted – catching sight of Hunter.

Blake turned to look at Hunter and grimaced. Hunter's face looked ashen. He looked nauseous, yet seemed poised to strangle someone with his bare hands.

Obliviously, Shane approached him, and raised a hand expecting him to clasp it in a high five gesture, "Score!"

Hunter left him hanging. Instead his gaze was furious; he turned on Blake like a cobra about to strike. "You want to screw up your life, fine!" he spewed his venom, "but mess with mine?" his words were like poison, "you're screwing with my head, Blake! My head!"

Dustin stood up carefully, "Hunter?"

Hunter wasn't having any of it. His gaze didn't waver from his brother's face. "You've fucked up everything, Blake! You've fucked up everything!"

…

"Where the hell have you been?" Marah pounced, causing Kapri to wince. She had barely gotten her feet through the front door.

"Out," Kapri lamented.

Tori and Kelly appeared in the front hall, with judging eyes.

"Out?" Marah repeated, donning a facial expression as if she hadn't heard her right. "_Doing_ what?"

Kapri tried her best to ignore her.

"And what is_ with_ your appearance?" Marah grilled. "You've got sand in your hair. What were you doing? Rolling around on the beach?"

Kapri turned red. "Drop it, Marah," she droned.

"Were you in a fight?" Marah pestered.

Kapri wanted to smack her for being so persistent, "No."

"Then who gave you those marks on your neck?" Marah stated skyward.

Her sister really was too innocent for her own good – Tori and Kelly, however, not so much.

Tori smirked mischievously, "Yeah Kap," she questioned playfully, "whatever _were_ you doing?"

"More like _who_ she was doing," Kelly snickered.

Marah sobered, her hands immediately going to her cheeks in shock, and gasped.

"It was a horrible mistake," Kapri explained desperately, "just drop it."

"So you just love'em and leave'em, hunh?" Kelly joked.

Kapri groaned and rushed off towards her room.

"We're kidding!" Tori hollered, watching her escape.

"We didn't mean anything by it," Kelly agreed.

Marah forced a smile for Tori and Kelly's benefit. "I'll talk to her," she stated with a smirk. She turned towards the direction that her sister had fled; heading towards Kapri's room – while the fake smile she donned slowly began to fade from her face.

…

"What the hell are you brooding on about?" Blake yelled, slowly getting to his feet.

Shane flashed a nervous glance towards Dustin; the Earth ninja's expression mirrored his own. The two didn't know what to do. The living room had turned into an unexpected verbal battlefield.

"You've fucked up everything," Hunter sneered.

"_I_ fucked everything up?" Blake regurgitated, "Hunter. I don't even know _what_ you're so pissed about! I've done nothing wrong!"

"Oh, really?" Hunter smarted. "You lead Tori on," he explained, causing Blake to stare at him in shock. "Disappear, then act hot and cold towards her," he recounted, "you throw _Kira_ in her face-"

"I did no such thing," Blake defended, angrily.

Hunter ignored him, "you throw a hissy fit when you find out that she _might_ be dating Cam-"

"I don't have feelings for Tori. And even if I did I don't understand _why_ this has anything to do with _you_," Blake interrupted. "This isn't any of your business! You have _no right_ to blame me for anything."

"I have no_ right_?" Hunter practically screamed, "Then _why_ talk to _me_ about it Blake! _Why_ ask if Tori is dating Cam? _Why_ ask about her when you call? _Why_ bitch and moan, and mope in front of my goddamn face! You know _who_ I am, you know _how_ I am, you know that I'd _kill_ and _die_ for you, so _why_ can't you _man up_ and _realize_ what everyone else already knows!"

Blake could only stare at him numbly. Hunter had basically opened him up; leaving him exposed and made him vulnerable; he was stripped right down to the bone. Dustin and Shane were practically gawking.

"Just _admit_ you love Tori," Hunter sniped. "Just admit you _love_ her, so all of this madness can end," he ordered while running a hand through his blonde hair, feverishly.

Blake swallowed hard, "Hunter-"

"I just _slept_ with _evil incarnate_, Blake!" Hunter spat angrily. "I slept with the fricken _devil_!"

The boys went mute.

"_Why_?" Hunter continued angrily, "_Because_ you and your bullshit have driven me bonkers."

Cam, whom had quietly entered the house unnoticed, stepped into the living room, but then having stumbled in in time to hear the latter convo, backtracked out of it slowly; obviously confused.

"I need a shower," Hunter muttered, before storming out of the room.

…

"Kapri?"

"I don't want to talk about it Marah," Kapri sniped.

Marah grimaced at the sound of her voice, but approached her nonetheless, shutting the door closed behind her.

She took a seat next to Kapri on her sister's bed.

Kapri didn't say anything, nor did she acknowledge her presence.

Marah took a deep breath, "how could it _not_ have _mattered_?"

Kapri didn't answer.

"You're a _virgin_," Marah reminded.

"_Was_," Kapri stated bitterly.

"You haven't even had a first _real_ kiss," Marah pressed.

"Just drop it," Kapri yelled, getting up from off of her bed, and turning towards her sister.

"Is it anyone I know," Marah persisted.

"I just want to forget that it ever happened," Kapri cried.

"What is going on with you?" Marah asked; fearing the answer.

Kapri buried her face in her hands.

…

"Hey," Tori greeted, following the knock at her door. She had opened the door to greet Shane and Dustin's anxious faces.

"What's up?" Tori asked, confused by the boys' petrified expressions.

"Nothing," Dustin blurted quickly. Shane, on the other hand, directed his gaze to the floor. "Why? What have you heard?" Dustin asked, a little too quickly than he should have.

Shane grimaced, causing Tori to look from one boy to the next, bewildered. "Nothing," Tori stated slowly. "Is something wrong?"

"Tori?" Kelly's voice drifted from the kitchen towards the foyer, "who is it?"

Tori ushered Shane and Dustin into the house, and closed the door. "Just Shane and Dustin," Tori yelled back. She fell into step with Shane and Dustin, as they headed to the kitchen.

"Hey guys," Kelly greeted Shane and Dustin brightly, as they stepped into the kitchen. "What's up?"

Dustin eyes widened, "Nothing!" he panicked, "Geez dude! What's with the third degree?"

Shane stuffed his hands into his pockets, refusing to make eye contact with anyone.

Kelly dropped the dishrag she was holding and turned to face Tori, Shane and Dustin with alarm, "Hunh?"

"Don't look at me," Tori dismissed, waving her hands in surrender, "I have no idea what's going on. They've been acting sketchy since they walked in."

Marah entered the kitchen and greeted Dustin and Shane with a fluttery wave, "hey guys! When did you get here?"

Dustin seemed grateful for her entrance, "Hey Marah? I need to talk to you about something. _In private_."

Marah's eyes widened with surprised, "Oh-…Okay?" she stated nervously. "We can talk on the beach," she offered.

"Cool," Dustin agreed, he waved goodbye quickly, "I'll see you guys later."

Marah took that as her cue to follow him.

Shane stared daggers at Dustin as he left. He turned his attention back towards Tori and Kelly. Both girls were staring at him with expectant looks. The pressure of it all caused Shane to do the only thing he could think of.

_Bolt_.

He hightailed so quickly out of the house, that Tori and Kelly didn't have time to protest.

…

Marah shot Dustin a nervous glance, as they walked down the beach. A few people were just arriving, but so far the place was mostly deserted.

"So, um," Marah asked – trying to hide the panic from her voice, "What did you want to talk to _me_ about?" The way he had acted earlier had scared her. She was starting to fear the worst.

Dustin surprised her with a small laugh. "Nothing," he revealed, "I just wanted to get _out_ of there."

"Hunh?" Marah asked confused.

Dustin shrugged, "Blake and Hunter had this huge fight earlier about Tori," he explained, "and well. Shane and I didn't know how to tell her. It was really ugly, dude. Hunter went ballistic on him."

"Do you know what set him off?" Marah questioned. "Hunter I mean."

"Something about _sleeping_ with the devil," Dustin informed, he furrowed his eyebrows confused. "I mean, _I'm_ usually the one that raves about things that nobody understands, but Hunter was talking in code. It was kinda scary."

"Sleeping with the devil?" Marah questioned skyward.

Dustin shrugged again, but then brightened.

She let Dustin's news slowly sink in.

Dustin started talking about something cool he saw at the sand track, but Marah's mind started churning with horrid thoughts. Could Hunter have been referring to Kapri?

…

"Hey, hey, hey," Cam greeted in a singsong voice, while rapping lightly on Hunter's open bedroom door.

Hunter made a face at him, and rubbed at his damp hair with a towel.

"I think you've managed to wash away whatever sin you think you've committed," Cam enlightened, while he entered Hunter's room.

Hunter threw the towel to the ground. "I'll never be clean," he muttered. He closed his eyes and frowned; something distant pulled at the back of his mind: fingers running through his hair, his body being pulled towards _her_, the feel of her mouth…

He shook his head, ridding his mind of the unwanted memory, and the foreign feeling it brought with it.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Cam offered.

Hunter shook his head.

Cam breathed a loud, dramatic, sigh of relief, "thank god," he noted with a smirk.

Hunter couldn't help but grin lightly at that. After a minute, he buried his head in his hands. He wanted to do nothing better than scream. Instead he turned to look at Cam, "Where's Blake?"

"He went for a walk," Cam revealed. "Said something about needing to clear his head."

Hunter's face contorted with guilt. Maybe he'd been too harsh.

…

The knock at the door caused Tori to huff in annoyance.

"Aren't we popular?" Kelly gushed. Her hands were currently filled with pots and pans. "Do you mind?"

Tori wordlessly headed towards the front door, opened it, and paled.

"Hi," Blake greeted, tersely.

Tori had to fight the urge to keep her mouth from hanging open and gapping like a fish. She couldn't even find the words to respond. She just stood there. Staring at him. Wordlessly.

Blake shifted his feet uncomfortably, "I came to apologize," he revealed, when it became obvious that Tori wasn't going to invite him in, "…for being an ass."

Tori swallowed hard, "…the blame isn't all yours to take," she explained, finally having found her voice.

Blake scoffed out a laugh that mimicked a painful sob, "Hunter would gravely disagree."

Tori could only arch an eyebrow.

"He practically handed me my ass on a silver platter," Blake stated bitterly. "Can't blame him."

"I'm sorry?" Tori questioned; not able to make right or left out of the situation.

"No, _I'm_ sorry," Blake explained. "I'm sorry about …_everything_. I'm sorry about what I put you through. I'm just…_sorry_."

"Tori?" Kelly's voice floated over towards them, "who's at the door?" In seconds, her head appeared over Tori's shoulder; a curious expression on her face, "Blake?"

"Hey Kel," Blake waved lightly.

"I um…," Kelly struggled to find the words she needed to escape and fix her faux pas, "…hi." She couldn't find any words, so she just pointed behind her, and stammered pathetically. "I'm just gonna. Yeah. Bye."

Blake and Tori exchanged smirks.

"What is _with_ everyone?" Blake asked, shaking his head.

Tori grinned, "You say that like you're new. Do their behaviour's _really_ surprise you?"

Blake shook his head and laughed, "Something's never change."

…

…

_**November 2, 2004:**_

…

"So are we stopping the charade or what?" Cam asked confused.

"You tell me," Tori questioned. "I'm so confused right now. I mean, I was never ever expecting to have a civil conversation with Blake, but then there he was. On my front porch. Apologizing. What do I do?"

Cam shrugged, "how should I know?"

"Has he said anything to you?" Tori asked.

"No," Cam admitted. "Ever since Hunter had his meltdown, the house has been kind of weird. Everyone's walking on eggshells around them, not knowing what to expect." Cam turned his gaze to his watch.

"I'm sorry," Tori apologized, "this is all _my_ fault."

"This is not _your_ fault," Cam lectured despite himself, scrambling to his feet. "And I hate to leave you like this, but I've got to head to the wind academy. I have a meeting with dad about the transition."

Tori nodded, "I'll see you later."

…

"Yeah well thanks for just _bailing_ on me," Shane fretted. He paused briefly at the shelf and analyzed a skateboard with the uttermost of care.

Dustin flashed him an apologetic look, "I'm sorry," he breathed, "but you know how I am. I just couldn't take the pressure."

Shane scoffed, "I'll say."

"So did you tell Tori anything?" Dustin asked, "After I left?"

"After you _ran_," Shane corrected with a smirk. He continued walking down the aisle, "no."

Dustin followed him down the aisle, and up to the front counter, to where Kelly stood.

The three of them were in Storm Chargers.

Kelly smiled, "what's up guys?"

…

Marah inspected Hunter's face for any telltale signs of shame, but the crimson ranger's face was an unreadable mask.

"I think December would be the best time for Kapri and Cam to join you at the thunder academy," Sensei informed; his tone mindful.

Hunter nodded curtly, wordlessly.

"Marah will join you in the new year," Sensei continued, flashing a knowing look at Marah.

Marah couldn't help but beam. She had used all of her pent up frustrations in the past months, with one goal in mind: advance fast enough and quick enough to leave the wind academy. Of course, this had been during the time she had chosen to stay away from Dustin, but it seemed like everything had worked in her favour after all. Being a head teacher at the thunder academy was an honour, one that she would be foolish to pass up.

Hunter wordlessly nodded again.

"That will be all," Sensei dismissed.

Hunter bowed in respect, before leaving the room.

Marah and Sensei shared a smile, before she turned on her heels, and followed Hunter out of Sensei's office.

…

"Are you _sure_ you're okay?" Cam pressed again.

Kapri huffed despite herself. "I'm _fine_."

"You don't _seem_ fine," Cam noted.

Kapri ignored him, and picked up a rock. The two of them were standing by the pond on the grounds of the wind ninja academy. They were supposed to have had a meeting with Sensei about their futures, but Kapri had chickened out, claiming a sudden illness. Cam, being the ever-so worried cousin that he was, had insisted on staying with her to make sure she was alright. When she realized that she wouldn't be able to shake Cam, she revised her lie and chalked up the feeling of nausea to just needing some air. So, here they were, waiting for Marah to explain their fates.

The rock she held in her hand was smooth.

Cam continued to stare at her with scrutinizing eyes.

Kapri frowned and hurled the rock into the water. As expected, it made a splash, and disappeared into the crystalline waters.

Kapri smiled lightly - throwing the rock had felt good. Now, if only she could throw her problems away as easily and effortlessly as that rock.

She reached for another rock, and pelted it into the water.

Cam arched an eyebrow, "what are you doing?"

"Throwing rocks," she stated, sardonically.

Cam grimaced, "I can _see_ that. _Why_ are you throwing rocks?"

"It calms me," she replied. She picked up another rock, and hurled it into the pond.

Cam shook his head, "women. I'll never understand you."

Kapri couldn't help but grin at that. She reached for another rock.

Footsteps sounding behind her indicated that Marah had returned. She launched the rock into the water, and turned around to face her sister, but instead she found Hunter.

…

"It's just weird not seeing Liam," Austin lamented.

Paige shot him a sympathetic look, and pulled open the front door that led into Storm Chargers. "I know," she agreed, but maybe this is some sort of sign.

"Sign?" Austin stated skyward.

"Yeah," Paige insisted; rounding the corner, and heading directly to a row of new motocross bikes. Her face lit up as she inspected them, "maybe this is all for the best."

"How's that?" Austin asked; eyeing a stack of surfboards from across the room.

"Maybe it's a blessing," she treaded carefully, eyeing her boyfriend cautiously. "Maybe this trip was _meant_ to happen. It'll give you a chance to know your father."

Austin went scary calm at that. Paige immediately regretted her words. If there was one thing everyone knew about Austin, it was that his father was a topic that should never be discussed.

Austin made a face as though he had drunk lemon juice. If it were anyone other than Paige, he would have slapped them for even suggesting the option. Austin turned to stare at her. His features coloured with indifference, "if he'd wanted that – he would have been in my life. But he chose fame over his family. I want nothing to do with him."

Paige couldn't help it, but the words came out before she could stop them, "if he'd _known_ about you, maybe he would have been there."

"Doesn't erase what he did," Austin stated through gritted teeth. "He turned his back on everyone that loved him. Thank god for my uncle – he's been more of a father to me than that man ever could."

Paige stared at the ground, ashamed. She should have never brought it up.

Austin seemed to sense her upset.

He frowned.

He hated that look – her fallen face; it broke his heart. He just wanted to grab her and kiss that look away. But he didn't. Paige wasn't one for public displays of affection. And neither was he. It was one of the reasons why they worked so well. It was like they were both in each other's heads.

He took her hand in his, and squeezed it lightly. His touch alone was enough; it told her all that she needed: he wasn't mad at her. He was mad at his father.

"…If anything, my father's absence led to one good thing," Austin reminded.

Paige furrowed her eyebrows, "what's that?"

"My mom met Liam," he reminded.

Paige smiled. "He really was a good guy."

"Is," Austin clarified. "_Is_. When we fix what we came to do – we'll all have our families back, and a life to return to. You'll have your mom, your dad, Amelia and Madeline back."

Paige beamed at that.

…

Hunter's gaze practically went through her. Something pulled at the back of his mind.

_- Her body shook against his. Hunter gasped, and watched as her head lolled back against the sand. -_

Hunter scowled, and struggled to dismiss the thought from his head.

Kapri tried her best to create the illusion that his presence didn't faze her. She looked past him, and spotted Marah hurrying towards them.

"So?" Cam asked expectantly, staring at Hunter.

Hunter turned to face Cam. "You and Kapri start the transition in December," he informed; trying his best to ignore Kapri.

Kapri tried to hide her nervousness, by picking up another rock, and hurling it into the water. The action no longer brought her any comfort.

"Marah will join us after the New Year," Hunter continued.

Marah finally reached the three, and watched confused as Kapri picked up another rock and pelted it into the water.

Cam nodded, absorbing Hunter's words. "Okay," he stated slowly.

Hunter blinked; he had been unsuccessful in discarding the thought from his mind. It bubbled again to the surface of his memory.

_- She murmured something. His name. Her lips grazed his shoulder. He felt a sudden burst of fire, shudder through him. -_

"That's good," Cam agreed.

Hunter flinched. The action went unnoticed by Cam.

_- Why did that excite him; the way that she said his name. His eyes almost rolled into the back of his head from the sheer pleasure of it all. -_

Cam pursed his lips in thought, "did dad give us permission to ninja streak back and forth between academies?"

Hunter didn't answer, for he was completely lost in thought.

_- "Say it again," he ordered. Her eyes flew open, and she licked her slightly parted lips. His grip tightened on her waist. -_

Marah eyed him curiously.

Kapri picked up another rock, and threw it into the water.

"Hunter?" Cam repeated.

_- She wrapped her legs around his waist, and moaned, "Hunter!" -_

"Hunter!"

Hunter still didn't seem to hear him.

_- Her words were his undoing. He captured her lips with his. She clawed at the sand. -_

"Hey!"

_- He picked one of her legs up from around his waist, and placed it over his shoulder. -_

"Hello?"

_- She arched her back suddenly; trying to get closer to him. He bit the side of her neck hard enough to leave a noticeable bruise. -_

Cam stood in front of him this time.

_- God, he needed more of her. His face was pressed against hers, practically nose to nose. -_

Cam inspected Hunter, confused.

_- This was wrong. He felt so dirty. -_

Cam arched an eyebrow, wordlessly. The weirdest emotions seemed to play across Hunter's face.

_- But he didn't care. Kapri fit him like a glove. How could something so wrong, feel this good… -_

Cam waved a hand in front of Hunter's face.

_- He couldn't take much more of this. He craved more of her. He wanted to crawl inside her skin. -_

Cam gave up, dropped his hands at his sides and shouted, "EARTH TO HUNTER!"

That seemed to do the trick.

Hunter shook his head, blanched, and looked around in shock, "…I'm sorry. What?"

"I said," Cam reiterated, "did my dad give us permission to ninja streak back and forth between academies?"

Hunter blinked; his voice traumatic, "I forgot to ask him."

Cam made a face. He wanted to ask his friend if he was alright, but he already knew the answer to that. Hunter hadn't been himself since yesterday's incident.

"No problem," Cam dismissed. "Stay here. I'm going to ask him. I'll be right back. Don't move."

Kapri picked up another rock and threw it into the water.

Marah watched the two of them carefully, before turning to Cam, "I'll go with you," she said suddenly. She shot quick looks at Kapri and Hunter as she said it. The two of them seemed horrified at the prospect of being left alone together.

Cam, oblivious to it all, smiled, "okay. Come on." He turned back to Kapri and Hunter, "don't move."

Kapri picked up another rock, and threw it more roughly this time, into the water.

…

"Hey dudes," Dustin greeted.

Paige and Austin smiled brightly at him.

"Paige and Austin, right?" he asked.

The duo nodded, warmly.

"I didn't know you guys were into extreme sports," Dustin stated with a grin.

"I'm into surfing," Austin admitted, "and this one," Austin noted while motioning to Paige, "can freestyle like nobody's business."

"Freestyle!" Dustin's eyes widened, "Dudette, _I_ freestyle!"

Paige shared a quick, secret look with Austin – one that went unnoticed by Dustin. She turned to face Dustin with a bright smile, "cool."

…

"What are you doing," Hunter asked, unable to help himself; his voice sounded erratic – completely contrasting from his _usual_ tone

Kapri nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of his voice; she had least expected him to _look_ at her, let alone _talk_ to her. She picked up another rock, faking nonchalantness, "sinking rocks," she replied, trying her best not to speak with a shaky voice.

Hunter donned her an incredulous look, "don't you mean _skipping_ rocks."

"No," Kapri contended, "I'm _sinking_ them."

"Why?" he asked. He didn't even know why he was talking to her.

"Because I don't know _how_ to skip rocks," she explained.

An awkward silence enveloped them once more; save for the occasional splashes that came from the pond as the hurtling rocks disappeared under its surface.

Hunter didn't like that – the silence. Lately he was always trying to find new ways to occupy his thoughts. If he didn't, he found his mind playing sick, cruel games with him. He was starting to _remember_ things he didn't want to remember. Things he wanted to forget. Things he _needed_ to forget. He began wringing his hands, and chose to focus on that.

Kapri glanced at him despite herself. His face looked stoic – as it always did, but his hands betrayed him. He was constantly fidgeting. His fingers kept twitching, and when they weren't doing that he was clenching and unclenching them, or twiddling his thumbs. He looked uncomfortable, as if he wanted to be anywhere but here.

No surprise there, Kapri noted. One random night filled with self-degradation sure as hell wasn't going to change that.

"Oh, thank god," Hunter exclaimed suddenly; causing Kapri to snap out of her thoughts. She followed his gaze towards a retuning Cam and Marah.

"I'm headed back to the house," Hunter explained quickly, walking briskly away from Kapri. "You coming," he asked Cam.

Kapri resumed the act of hurling stones into the water.

Marah joined her, while Cam bided them goodbye.

…

"So are you guys coming to Kelly's this Friday?" Kelly asked, as she rung up Austin and Paige's items.

Austin shrugged, "I guess so. We really didn't have anything planned."

Paige grinned, "We just usually go with the flow."

"As everyone usually does," Shane stated with a laugh.

"It keeps life interesting," Austin remarked.

Dustin, whom had been leaning against the counter, caught sight of something. He went still, squinted –as if to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him, brightened, smiled, and motioned his hand in a 'come hither' gesture.

Paige, Austin, Shane and Kelly followed his gaze, and found Blake fast approaching.

"Hey," Blake greeted, brightly. "What's up?"

Kelly perked up suddenly and motioned to Austin and Paige, "I don't think you guys have met yet," she noted. "Blake. This is Paige and Austin," she introduced. "They're new in town." She then turned to Paige and Austin, "Guys. This is-"

"Blake Bradley," Austin finished. Blake arched an eyebrow curiously.

"Um…yeah," Blake concurred. It could have been just him, but it sounded like Austin was none too pleased to see him. Blake dismissed the thought as ridiculous, and extended a hand. "Motocross fan?"

Austin left his hand hanging. Paige took his hand instead, and shook it. "I am," she replied, shooting a guarded look at her boyfriend. She laughed nervously, "guilty as charged. I'm a huge fan. Gets to him," she nodded towards Austin. "I praise you _constantly_."

"You're dating," Blake acknowledged out loud, as if coming to a conclusion.

Paige giggled at that, and hugged Austin, "he's the love of my life."

Austin rolled his eyes, and shot Blake a dark glare. He turned to Paige suddenly, "we really should be going."

"But you just got here, dude," Dustin whined.

"We actually have this _thing_ that we need to do," Paige apologized.

Austin reached for their bag of purchased items from Kelly, "We'll see you on Friday."

Kelly smiled brightly, "bye."

"It was nice meeting you," Paige bided Blake.

Blake nodded, "yeah," he turned to say the same to Austin, but the boy had already disappeared out the front door.

…

"I need your help," Tori begged; practically pouncing on Marah and Kapri as they stepped through the front doors of their beach house.

"Is something wrong?" Kapri asked.

"Shouldn't you be teaching?" Marah asked, staring at her watch.

"I gave them a free period," Tori replied airily, waving her hand.

"For _every_ water student?" Kapri questioned incredulously, "for _all_ of your classes?"

"Yeah," Tori stressed, meaningfully.

Marah's blue eyes widened, "This _is_ serious! What happened?"

Tori began walking towards the living room, causing Marah and Kapri to follow. "I'm guessing that you haven't spoken to Kelly lately," Tori concluded, taking a seat on the couch.

"Kelly?" Kapri and Marah questioned in unison. Both girls took a seat next to her.

"What does Kelly have to do with this?" Marah asked.

"Something is wrong," Kapri noted.

"No," Tori dismissed. "Nothing's wrong. More like it's…somewhat right."

Marah did a double take. "Hunh?"

Kapri narrowed her eyes at Tori, "Sweetie. Are you feeling alright? You're not making any sense."

"What's going on," Marah grilled; getting straight to the point.

"Blake stopped by yesterday – to _apologize_," Tori revealed; only to have her statement met with silence.

…

The light knock, followed by a series of more knocks, caused Hunter to look up from the book he was reading and turn towards his open bedroom door.

He arched an eyebrow confused at his brother.

Blake flashed him a small smile. "Can we talk?" It wasn't a question. He was going to do it no matter what.

Hunter closed the handbook he was reading about medical courses at Blue Bay University, turned around on his desk chair, and looked at Blake expectantly.

"You're right," Blake admitted. He took a few small, testing steps, into Hunter's room. "I've been a horrible person lately. I've been a horrible brother, a horrible friend, and a horrible liar."

Hunter didn't say anything, but watched him carefully.

"I don't know why I acted the way that I did," Blake revealed. "…I'm sorry."

Hunter still didn't say anything. He just stared at him, yet not meeting his gaze. He looked through him.

"I spoke to Tori," Blake informed through a shaky breath.

Hunter finally met his gaze, "how'd that go?"

"I'm still standing," he replied with a nervous laugh.

Hunter didn't laugh. His composure returned to its calm and collected front, of earlier.

Blake sobered at that. "I told her I was sorry for everything."

"And she believed you," Hunter noted; disbelief colored his voice.

Blake paled at that. "I meant it Hunter," Blake insisted. "I _am_ sorry."

Hunter stood up and threw his hands in the air, unconvinced, "…Why? Why _now_ Blake?"

"Because of you," Blake blurted out despite himself.

Hunter did a double take at that, "what?"

"You called me out on my shit," Blake asserted. "…I needed that. It woke me up."

Hunter didn't know how to process that, so he just went quiet.

"Don't you believe me?" Blake asked despite himself; his voice was almost a whisper.

Hunter scrunched his face in frustration, took a seat on his bed, and buried his head in his hands. "I don't know what to believe anymore."

…

"Guys?" Tori beckoned, when Marah and Kapri didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry," Kapri stated; her voice a million miles away, "I'm confused."

"He just …showed up," Marah asked slowly.

"Yeah," Tori conceded. "And he apologized. For everything."

"Why the sudden need to apologize?" Marah questioned skyward. "You told me that you guys had a huge fight on Halloween."

"We did," Tori acknowledged, "but apparently Hunter had a mental breakdown of some kind, and went ballistic on Blake."

"Strange," Marah noted, while suspiciously eying Kapri – whom of which had turned an unnatural shade of white.

Kapri met her gaze, did a double take, and then ignored her altogether. "Do you have any idea _why_ Hunter was so riled up?" she asked Tori.

Tori shrugged, "No. Blake didn't really get into it much."

Marah continued to eye her sister, "Hunh."

"So what are you going to do?" Kapri questioned Tori; trying to shake Marah's perturbing gaze.

"I don't know," Tori exclaimed. "That's why I need your help. What do I do?"

…

"Look. I know I haven't been here for you," Blake recognized, "but I'm here now."

Hunter looked up at him, confused.

"What's wrong?" Blake demanded.

"Nothing's wrong," Hunter stated defensively; his tone betrayed him, signifying that that wasn't the case.

"It's _me_ you're speaking to here," Blake reminded.

"So?"

"I know you better than you know you," Blake replied.

Hunter laughed a desperate laugh, laced with sarcasm.

"Talk to me," Blake treaded. "You can't keep your emotions bottled up like this. You know what happens to you when you do."

"What happens to me, Blake?" Hunter called his bluff. "What _do_ I do?"

"You unload on whatever poor, unsuspecting, unfortunate soul, that makes the mistake of tripping in your path," Blake educated.

Hunter scoffed at that.

"Hunter-"

"Look. Blake," Hunter silenced; holding his hands up in surrender, "I understand that you want to help. But I don't _need_ your help. I'm fine," he insisted through clenched teeth.

Blake winced.

"What I'm going through right now, _no one_ can help me with it," Hunter explained; his tone broken. "I made a horrible, horrible, horrible mistake, and now I'm paying for it."

Blake's eyes widened with worry, "it's about that girl, isn't it?"

Hunter froze, and stared at him horrified, "what?"

"The girl you slept with on Halloween," Blake continued knowingly. "The one that …made you this way."

Hunter could only stare at him with his mouth open.

"What did she do?" Blake asked; his voice filled with fear. "Did she drug you?"

Hunter blinked and stared at him, incredulously.

His expression caused Blake to revise his theory, "did she have a disease?" Blake paled. " … Oh god! Are you sick?"

Hunter blanched, "Blake!"

Blake did a double take, realizing that that wasn't the case, "…was she a, you know, a _he_?"

Hunter buried his head in his hands, "Oh. My. God!"

Blake flushed. Unable to think of anything else, he blurted out the last of his hypotheses, "did you _not_ use protection?"

Hunter's head, snapped up at that; a new horror invading his thoughts.

…

"I'll get it," Marah offered gently, in response to the doorbell.

Tori turned to look at Kapri, "What do I do."

Marah never did get to hear Kapri's response. She headed over towards the front doors of the beach house and flung it open. Her face brightened, "Hi Dustin."

Dustin didn't seem to happy, he took a step back on the porch, "I saw Cam earlier."

"Oh?" Marah questioned confused. She stepped out onto the porch, and closed the front door behind her.

Dustin headed over to the porch swing, and took a seat. Marah joined him.

"So you're going to be a teacher at the Thunder Academy soon," Dustin remarked; his tone torn between thrilled and devastated.

"Yeah," Marah concurred, uncertainly. "I'm the new head teacher for the fire students."

Dustin smiled lightly, and then frowned.

Marah blinked confused, "is something wrong?"

Dustin shook his head quickly, "No. I'm just…really happy for you."

Marah arched an eyebrow, "…thanks."

Dustin nodded, and then shifted his gaze towards the ocean; leaving them to sit in silence.

Marah made a face, and stared at the ocean – unable to decipher his strange behaviour.

…

…

_**November 3, 2004:**_

…

"So what up with yesterday, dude?" Dustin questioned, eyeing Tori as he did so.

Shane turned to look at her expectantly.

The three of them had just finished teaching for the day, and were currently exiting the wind academy through the waterfall.

Tori shrugged, "a much needed sabbatical," she offered.

Shane's features colored with worry, "is something wrong."

Tori shook her head, "I just needed to clear my head."

"Did it work?" Dustin asked, "the day off, I mean. Do you feel better now?"

Tori exhaled loudly, "not really."

"You know we're here for you Tor," Shane reminded, pointing to him and Dustin as he said so.

Tori nodded brightly at that, "I know."

…

…

_**November 5, 2004:**_

…

"Haul ass," Kelly instructed, as the girls all piled out of Tori's van.

"_You_ try running in stilettos," Marah whined, struggling to keep up.

"Are those new?" Kapri mused. "You should have broken them in first."

"I'm breaking them in _now_," Marah pointed out.

"Oh sweetie," Tori sympathized. "Bad move. Your feet will be killing you by nights end."

"But they're so pretty," Marah insisted; striking a pose, and showing them off.

Kelly wasn't having it. "Hurry up," she fretted; eyeing the lineup growing outside of Kelly's. "You can show them off inside. I need to open the club."

…

"You ready," Dustin asked; staring at Blake as he did so.

The boys were still at the beach house.

Blake stared at his cell phone numbly. "Um…"

Dustin arched an eyebrow, "Blake?"

Blake looked up at him with a pained expression.

"Dude. What's wrong?" Dustin asked worriedly.

Hunter entered the room in time to hear the latter question. He turned his gaze towards Blake and narrowed his eyes at him, worriedly.

Blake shook his head, "…you guys go ahead. I'll meet you there. I need to talk to Sensei."

"Why?" Hunter demanded.

Blake waved a hand breezily. "It's nothing. I just need to ask his permission of something."

Hunter folded his arms across his chest. His expression knowing, "you're leaving again. Aren't you?"

…

"The guys will be here soon," Shane informed Kelly.

Kelly nodded, distractedly.

People were slowly piling in through the front doors of the club.

"Okay. But you and Cam are here, and I need all the help I can get," Kelly rationalized. "I'm short staffed until ten p.m. You cool with serving drinks?"

"Don't I need a license," Shane pointed out.

Kelly wiggled her eyebrows mischievously, "it'll be our little secret."

"Kelly!"

"What!" Kelly laughed. "You're the only one I know that can mix drinks decently. You've seen my lame attempts. I'd ask the girls, but Tori would just hand out nothing but beers, straight from the tap. Marah would force fruity drinks down everyone's throat. And Kapri's been in a state of limbo lately. I'd fear for customers, and the concoctions she'd serve them."

Shane laughed. Kelly was of course referring to Kapri's misstep yesterday – giving Cam salt instead of sugar in his coffee. But Kelly, hadn't witnessed what he and Tori had the day prior – Sensei had asked for a cola; Kapri had mindlessly given him brandy instead. The look on Sensei's face had been priceless.

Shane sighed. Kapri sure seemed rattled lately. He had voiced his concern to Marah, but Marah had assured him everything was alright.

Discarding the thought from his mind, he turned to Kelly and flashed her an award winning smile, "lead me to my doom."

"So you'll do it?"

"Hopefully I won't get arrested," Shane joked.

Kelly clapped her hands together happily. "Yay! Follow me."

"FYI," Shane informed, "this goes against everything I believe in."

"You can be such a Pope, sometimes," Kelly mocked.

…

"I just want to leave already," Hope lamented. She sounded like she wanted to cry.

"We haven't finished what we came here to do," Noah placated his girlfriend.

"What if Daniel is dead already," Hope panicked.

Faith made a screeching noise at that. "He is not."

"Look," Noah reasoned. "I'm terrified for Ryan and Logan, but we need to stay calm. We have to trust that they're alright. They're fighters. Just like we are. Our parents taught us well."

Hope seemed to take some comfort in his words.

Paige and Austin made their way towards them. All of them were currently standing in the Kelly's parking lot.

"Where's Matt?" Austin asked, through narrowed eyes.

"He's keeping our place in line," Faith replied, tossing her long dark red hair over her shoulder.

"You okay?" Paige asked, looking at Hope worriedly.

Hope gave Noah's hand a small squeeze, and smiled lightly. "I'm better now."

"So what did you find out?" Noah asked Austin, anxiously.

Paige and Austin shared a look, and turned to the group, "we need to leave for Reefside soon. It happens on the 20th."

Hope's eyes widened. "So soon?"

Paige nodded.

"Then what?" Faith demanded. "We hunt him down, kill him, and return home, right?"

"That's the plan," Austin muttered.

"And Lothor?" Hope asked, her eyes danced nervously.

Noah stuffed his hands in his pocket, "we let him go."

…

Hunter had never been happier for it to be Friday. The week had inched by at snail pace. He was starting to think that time had been screwing with him.

"I'm going to get a beer," Shane informed, from his spot next to him. "Want me to grab you one?"

Hunter nodded, wordlessly.

Once Shane left, he finally found himself alone. Hunter scanned Kelly's nervously. His gaze finally landed on Kapri.

He found himself frowning, like he usually did.

She was laughing with Kelly by the bar. She looked so carefree. So _happy_.

The bitch, Hunter thought angrily. There she was, acting like nothing had ever happened – smiling, probably because she'd stolen his sanity.

Hunter wanted more than anything to pretend like he couldn't remember their night together. But the goddamn torrid memories kept bubbling to the surface, despite his attempts at drowning them.

Kelly said something that caused Kapri to laugh loudly; Hunter found himself staring daggers at her.

It was then that he remembered what he had to do. He flinched at the thought. He didn't want to be anywhere _near_ her. How the hell was he going to _talk_ to her? How did one even begin a conversation as such? How would he even begin to have the conversation? What if she said _no_? What would he do then?

Shane returned with beers in hand, silencing Hunter's inner break with reality.

Hunter accepted it.

Shane excused himself again and walked off, leaving Hunter alone again.

Hunter exhaled loudly; he was terribly frustrated. He needed a distraction. Something, _anything_ - to make him feel sane again. His eyes landed on a pretty brunette. She played with her hair - twirling it around her fingers, bit her lip, and flashed him a bright, wanting smile.

Hunter arched an eyebrow and grinned back.

…

"Blake?" Sensei greeted in surprise. "It's late."

"I know," Blake bowed in respect, and then relaxed. He approached Sensei, "but this couldn't wait."

"Is something the matter Blake," Sensei inquired worriedly.

Blake shook his head. "It's just that…I-I…"

Sensei furrowed his eyebrows, concerned. "Blake?"

"I got a phone call a little while ago," Blake explained. "I have a race to get to, next week."

"I see," Sensei acknowledged. After a beat, he proposed, "…and you want to know if you can leave now?"

Blake swallowed hard. His face looked torn.

Sensei arched an eyebrow curiously.

"I want to know if I could _stay_," Blake revealed suddenly.

Sensei couldn't help but blink rapidly in shock. He hadn't been expecting that. "I'm sorry?"

"Is it possible for me too ninja streak, back and forth between Blue Bay and my races," Blake requested. "I know that it's against ninja law to use ones power selfishly," Blake acknowledged, "and I know what I'm asking of you. But…"

Sensei eyed him carefully.

"Things have been so … _chaotic_ lately," Blake rationalized. "And you said that family comes first. The team comes first. I just need more time to fix things."

…

Kapri tried her best to make every smile and laugh seem believable. She was grasping at straws internally to keep from falling apart.

The past few days had been unbearable. Apart from the pending transfer, Marah's curiosity, and Hunter's ghost like behaviour – she wasn't entirely sure which one was worst.

She felt eyes on her. She looked up, but found no one in particular staring out right. She turned back to Kelly. Kelly was babbling about something. She wasn't sure what. She found it so hard to focus lately. Her mind was a battlefield. She felt like she was slowly starting to lose it.

Kelly burst out laughing, suddenly, so Kapri did the only thing she could think of. She laughed too. Maybe a little louder than she should have, but Kelly didn't seem to find it odd. The situation probably warranted that kind of laugh. What was she talking about? Kelly began giggling again. Kapri could only mindlessly mirror her movements.

After a beat, Kelly paused, and ordered a drink. "Do you want anything?"

Kapri shook her head. She turned to look at the dance floor, and out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Hunter flirting with some random girl. Something foreign ached in her chest.

"You sure you don't want anything," Kelly asked, accepting her glass of whiskey from the bartender. It was past ten o'clock, which meant both Cam and Shane were relieved of their duties.

Kapri turned to look at Kelly, and then at Kelly's glass. "I changed my mind."

Kelly motioned again for the bartender.

He stared at Kapri expectantly. Kapri smiled. "Vodka cranberries."

…

"Here you are," Tori breathed; running into the storage room.

"Hey Tor," Cam greeted. He grabbed a box filled with peanuts from a shelf, and turned to face Tori. "What's up?" Despite the fact that Kelly had insisted she could manage things now, Cam had persisted that he offer his assitance, like the gentlemen that he was.

"Do you even have to ask?" Tori laughed sarcastically.

Cam dropped the boxes. "Did something happen?"

"Other than Blake apologizing," Tori reminded.

"Lately," Cam stressed.

Tori blinked, "…no."

Cam rolled his eyes, picked up the box he had been holding earlier, and began to brush passed her.

Tori grabbed his arm, confused. "Cam!"

Cam turned to look at her, annoyed. "Did you make up your mind yet?"

Tori blanked, "hunh?"

Cam sighed, "Did you make up your mind yet?"

"No," she admitted.

"Well then," Cam said; his tone conveying as if that summed up everything. "I can't help you."

He turned to leave, but Tori sidestepped him quickly, and blocked his path. "Cam!"

Cam huffed. "Tori," he clued in gently, "the ball is in _your_ court now. He apologized. It's your move. I can't help you."

Tori's mouth hung open in shock.

"Do you love Blake?" Cam asked point blank.

Tori remained silent.

Cam smiled lightly. "Like I said. Your move." And with that said; he left.

…

Kapri was about to make her way to her fifth glass of vodka cranberries. Her mind felt foggy. And she had the uncontrollable need to laugh.

A hand grabbed her roughly suddenly, and she did just that.

Hunter licked his lips and stared at her mortified, "are you drunk?"

Kapri swayed and giggled despite herself. "Noooooooo," she lied in a sing-song fashion.

Hunter scowled. This was going to be harder than he thought.

Realizing that he still had his arm locked on hers, he let go. She swayed again, and would have hit the floor, if it weren't for Kelly.

Kelly appeared suddenly, grabbed her and turned her to face her. "Kap?"

Kapri smiled at her goofily, finally having noticed her. "Hey Kel," she breathed. She touched Kelly's hair and laughed, "Hahahahaha! What a pretty colour. Was your hair always red? Is it real? The colour. Is the colour real?" she started laughing again.

Kelly frowned, "I leave you alone for a few minutes…" she scanned the vicinity, but didn't seem to find what she was looking for. Her gaze fell on Hunter. "Hunter," she began pleadingly.

Hunter waved his hand in refusal immediately, sensing what was to be asked of him. "No way!"

"Please!" Kelly begged. "She needs to go home and sleep this off."

"I'm not taking her home," Hunter argued.

Kelly huffed, "Fine." She guided Kapri over to a barstool, and ordered Hunter to follow. "I'm going to find someone who _will_ take her home. In the meantime, wait here while I find Marah, Tori or Cam."

"What?" Hunter balked.

"You can survive a minute or two alone with her," Kelly fretted. "She's not going to eat your face off. She can barely walk, for Christ's sakes."

"But Kel," Hunter reasoned.

Kelly gave him a stern look, and stalked off.

…

"About time," Dustin greeted; smacking Blake on the back. "What kept you?"

"I had some business to take care of," Blake replied.

Cam sauntered up to them with beers in hand.

Blake and Cam shared an awkward exchange, before Dustin and Blake accepted the beers.

"So?" Dustin mused out loud, practically screaming over the loud music. "Is it true what Hunter said? Are you leaving?"

Cam arched an eyebrow curiously, and eyed Blake.

Blake shook his head. "I'm sticking around longer this time."

"Oh?" Cam questioned, taking a sip of his beer. "How long?"

Blake grinned. "For good."

…

"Tooorrriiiiiiiiii!"

Marah frowned. Damn these shoes. She paused quickly, and pulled her shoes off her feet. Her toes hurt, and her feet were probably bleeding. But regardless of it all, she took off again, after Tori.

"Tori wait!"

Tori pulled open the back door of the club, "I can't stay here!" she yelled over her shoulder, before bolting into the parking lot.

Marah reached the doors, and yanked them open in time to see Tori and her van speeding off into the night.

…

"I'm gonna get us some more beers," Dustin offered.

Blake laughed, "Train hard, party harder much?"

Dustin laughed loudly at that, "very much," he agreed. He then walked off towards the counter – unaware of the fact that he had left Cam and Blake alone together for the first time in ages.

The duo sat in awkward silence.

Cam's eyes darted around the room nervously. The front doors of Kelly's opened suddenly, catching Cam's eye. Cam narrowed his eyes at the teens entering the club. The action didn't go unnoticed by Blake.

"See something you don't like?" Blake asked, trying to ease the tension.

Cam relaxed, despite the obvious daggers he was shooting Noah. On cue, Kelly flocked towards him. Cam grimaced at that. Did Noah have some sort of silent alarm that only Kelly could hear? It almost seemed like the crowd had parted between the two.

Cam downed the last of his beer. "More like _someone_ I don't like."

Blake followed his gaze and frowned; completely baffled.

…

Hunter frowned. He had no choice but to ask her now. Hopefully she was clear headed enough to answer honestly. If he didn't ask her now, he wouldn't have a chance to do so until tomorrow. Or maybe never. He was seriously debating chickening out, and just to never bring it up. But he had to know. It was either ask now, or don't. And if he didn't, he was afraid of the consequences that would come with it.

Kapri's eyes kept dancing around the room. He was finding it awfully hard to meet her gaze, in order to strike up the dreaded conversation. He realized that he _could_ have taken Kelly up on her offer and driven Kapri home; it would have provided him with the privacy he needed. But if truth be told, he didn't trust himself around her. He was afraid of what might happen if they were left alone. At least here, in the club, there were people around. Witnesses and gossips; that knowledge alone would prevent him from doing something that he would again come to regret.

Kapri finally looked his way; Hunter immediately jumped at the opportunity, "I have to ask you," he blurted suddenly. Kapri narrowed her eyes at him, but the goofy grin she wore, did little to convince him that she would even _understand_ what he was asking.

He inched closer to her. He had to make sure she wasn't completely loopy. "How many fingers am I holding up," he asked, while waving four.

Kapri laughed, "Four."

"I'm the head Sensei of what academy?" Hunter tested.

"Thunder," Kapri replied, she then covered her hand over her mouth and snickered.

"What's your sister's name?" he continued, nervously.

"Ma-rah," Kapri sang. She then giggled at her own answer.

Hunter shot a look over his shoulder. The coast was clear. He turned to face her.

Kapri was staring into oblivion and smirking.

Hunter took a deep breath, "did we use protection?"

Kapri's head snapped up, her gaze met his, her eyes narrowed, and her smirk slowly faded. It was evident that even while drunk, the memory of that night seemed to haunt her too. She tore her gaze away from his face, and her features slowly coloured with disorientation.

Hunter blinked. He was about to repeat the question, when she finally spoke.

"Yes," she whispered; her tone a broken hush. Hunter almost hadn't heard her. She looked up to meet his gaze again. Something almost painful passed between them.

"I found Shane!" Kelly declared loudly; interrupting whatever it was that had momentarily plagued them.

Hunter tore his attention away from Kapri. "Great," he muttered.

Kapri spun around on the barstool, and faced the bartender.

Kelly squeezed Hunter's arm, "I'll stay with her until Shane comes. He'll take her home."

Hunter nodded, his mind muddled with a hundred different feelings and thoughts. He walked away.

Kapri watched him go before secretly ordering another drink, while Kelly spoke to another customer.

…

"Where have you been," Dustin asked, interrupting Marah's search for Kapri and Kelly.

Marah made a face and turned to face him.

Dustin's eyes widened in alarm, "what's wrong?"

Marah shook her head breezily, "girl stuff," she explained, in a small voice.

Dustin's grin was impish, "Girl stuff. Should I be happy that I'm a _dude_?"

Marah couldn't help but grin at that. She thought about it, and nodded, "Come to think of it. I think you should."

"It can't be all bad," Dustin noted.

"Name one awesome thing about being a girl that outranks being a guy," Marah questioned.

Dustin made a face, lost in thought.

…

Tori flung open the front door of the beach house, stepped in, and then slammed the door shut behind her. The club had become stifling. She had felt like she was suffocating.

_- "Do you love Blake?" -_

It was an innocent question, but it had rattled her to her core.

Did she love Blake?

What was love really? She'd never experienced love to know how it felt or what it was. What did it truly mean to be in love?

And what was Blake? What did Blake mean to her?

_- I just want to fix…this." -_

_- "And what is _this_ exactly," -_

Tori exhaled loudly, and stormed into her bedroom.

She needed to lie down. Her head felt chaotic.

Maybe the answers she needed would come to her in her sleep.

…

Faith frowned and watched as Shane practically carried a completely 'drunk-out-of-her-mind' Kapri out of Kelly's.

Matt's expression mirrored hers, but her cousin looked more _confused_ than anything else.

Faith made a face, and turned to him – half hoping that what she said next would also serve to distract him. "Have you spotted my mother yet?"

Matt tore his attention away from Kapri and Shane, and redirected it towards Faith. He shook his head. "I don't think we'll get the chance. We're supposed to leave before then."

Faith arched an eyebrow confused. "I thought Noah said he didn't know how long it would take. It may even be years, before we can find him."

Matt took a swig of his beer, and smiled, "think happy thoughts."

Faith folded her hands in front of her chest and pouted, "I just wanted to meet her. I wanted to see what she was like. You're all so lucky."

Matt's gaze landed on a disgruntled Austin, by chance. His heart went out to his cousin. He turned his attention back to Faith, "I don't think all of us see it that way."

…

"Ahahahahahahahaha!"

They passed a green traffic light, and for some reason it caused her to laugh.

Shane couldn't help but smirk. He knew he shouldn't, but drunk Kapri was a sight to behold.

She kept laughing uncontrollably in the passenger seat next to him. Shane found her laughter infectious. He soon found himself laughing for no reason at all.

Kapri's laughter died down slowly; she turned to face him curiously, "why are _you_ laughing?"

Shane fought a smile, "because you were," he answered lamely.

She laughed loudly at that again.

"Can I ask you a question?" Shane asked, rounding a turn.

Kapri faced him with a goofy grin.

"Why did you drink so much tonight?" he asked.

Kapri shrugged, and turned to stare out her window wistfully. A beat of silence passed between them, before she broke it. She turned to Shane, "I'm hot right?"

Shane smirked and arched an eyebrow, "is that a trick question."

She frowned at that. "…I'm not…," she stated sadly, as if coming to a realization.

Shane blinked, confused. "I didn't say that."

She eyed him, dubiously.

"You _are_," Shane blurted quickly. "You're _totally_ hot."

She made a face at that, and pondered his words. After a beat, she shook her head. "You're lying."

Shane frowned, "no I'm not."

"You're a good friend," Kapri placated. "You don't need to lie."

Shane couldn't believe what he was hearing. He signalled suddenly, and swerved. Kapri's eyes' widened in shock. He soon pulled over to the side of the road.

"Why are you so hard on yourself?" Shane grilled. He didn't like the way she was talking. It bugged him.

"Because I'm a monster," she explained. "I'm evil."

"No you're not," Shane placated. "I've witnessed your transformation. You emerged from Lothor's control and turned your life around. You're the new head teacher for the ice students. That's a major accomplishment."

"Sensei made that happen," Kapri pointed out.

"No," Shane corrected. "_You_ made that happened. You could have slacked off, but you didn't. Sensei does not give out freebies. He doesn't play favorites - even if you are family. You worked hard. You _deserve_ that position."

Kapri's mood didn't improve.

Shane was at a loss of words.

"…But I'm repulsive," she stated smally.

Shane stared at her taken aback. "Says who?"

"Hunter," she answered, on reflex.

"Who cares what Hunter thinks," Shane stated skyward.

"He hates me," she declared; on the brink of tears.

Shane took a calming breath, "Don't take it personally," he reasoned. "Hunter hates everyone. Heck, sometimes Hunter even hates Hunter. That's why we call him the brooder."

Despite the joke, Kapri still looked like she was going to cry.

"He'll come around," Shane placated. "He'll warm up to you eventually."

"He's done more than that," she stated bitterly.

Shane blinked.

"If sleeping with him didn't do the trick," Kapri lamented, "I doubt he'll ever come around."

…

Tori punched her pillow, and huffed.

No matter what she did, sleep refused to come and rescue her.

She'd drunk warm milk. She'd read a book. Hell, she even watched an episode of the real housewives of Blue Bay Harbour, and yet nothing seemed to work its magic, nor bore her to tears.

She tossed and turned under her covers for the umpteenth time, before finally giving up. She sat up in bed, and buried her head in her hands.

To say she felt frustrated, was a lie. What she felt, was lost.

What was Blake? Once he had been her friend. Now, she wasn't even sure if that was even the case.

Did she love Blake? She wasn't so much of a coward that she couldn't admit to herself that she was attracted to him. But lust and love, were two completely different things.

As for Blake – he seemed to be as much in denial as she was. But at the night of the Halloween party, his emotions had betrayed him. During their argument, she had seen it in his eyes: a raw deep truth buried in their depths – Blake was in love with her.

…

"Hey guys," Marah greeted, as she and Dustin approached Kelly, Noah, Austin, and Paige.

The foursome waved at them as they came to stop in front of them.

"What's up," Dustin greeted.

"I just invited them to spend Thanksgiving with us," Kelly declared, before suddenly getting to business. She turned to Marah suddenly, "where were you?"

Marah and Dustin grinned and shared a look; before Marah turned to Kelly. Dustin was never able to answer her question. Marah arched an eyebrow and mirrored Kelly, "where were _you_?"

"I was with your sister," Kelly informed. "Who FYI, I'm suspecting is losing her mind. She got totally plastered. I had to have Shane take her home."

"Kapri was drunk?" Dustin asked slowly. "How'd that happen?"

Kelly shook her head, confused. "I left for a minute, and she drank more than half her weight in alcohol. If you cut her, she'll probably bleed vodka cranberries."

"That doesn't sound like Kap," Dustin stated in shock.

"You're telling me," Kelly agreed. She turned to Marah. Whom of which, had become eerily silent. "What is with her?" Kelly questioned. "She's been acting like a doppelganger."

Marah shrugged wordlessly.

"She's going to be okay, right?" Noah asked worriedly.

Kelly turned to face him, and nodded, "Of course."

"I should go check on her," Marah said, worriedly. "Maybe Tori's already there."

Kelly blinked, "Tori left?"

"That's where I was," Marah explained. "I found Tori all panicky. She said she couldn't be here and fled. She left hours ago."

…

The girl in front of him was gorgeous – long black hair, green catlike eyes, and a pouty mouth. She pressed her body firmly against his; she could have practically been a second layer of skin. But for some reason, he just couldn't get into it - mirroring his feelings of earlier with the seductive brunette. What was wrong with him?

Shane appeared from out of nowhere, grabbed the back of the collar of his shirt, and yanked him away.

Hunter wished he could say he was disappointed by the sudden barrier between him and his flirt-buddy, but he wasn't. He was relieved.

Shane flashed the girl a pointed stare, "sorry," he apologized, "but trust me. He's more trouble than he's worth."

Hunter's mouth fell open in shock, "dude! What the hell!"

The girl ran off, and Shane turned to face Hunter heatedly. "You slept with her?"

"I was going to," Hunter smarted, "but you wrecked any chance of _that_ happening – you cockblocker!"

Shane's expression was sinister, "not _her_," he spat angrily. "I'm referring to _Kapri_. Or are you that much of a slut that you forgot about _that_ already!"

Hunter paled and froze. After a moment, he caught his bearings, "Oh for fuck's sake…she _told_ you?" his voice was a whisper; his tone mixed with surprise, mortification, and something Shane couldn't quite place.

"What on earth would possess you to do that?" Shane argued.

"You're one to talk," Hunter shotback.

Shane did a double take, "what does that mean?"

"Oh don't act all self-righteous with me," Hunter fumed. "Or did you forget that I _saw_ you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Shane fretted, confused.

Hunter's laugh was sardonic. "Oh please."

"Seriously," Shane reasoned, "What are you talking about?"

"You honestly don't remember," Hunter's tone was bitter. "And you call me a slut."

"Hunter!" Shane demanded.

Hunter sighed, "…last month," he clued.

Shane shook his head, obviously not following.

"You and Kapri," Hunter clarified; annoyed.

Shane still stared at him confused.

"I heard a noise," Hunter continued, his patience pressing thin, "I found you and Kapri in your room…"

Shane's eyes widened and his hands flew to his head, with recollection, "Oh!"

"Yeah," Hunter nodded.

Realization hit Shane, "oh wait," Shane formulated, "you thought – Kapri and me…"

Hunter eyed him, "ch-yeah!"

"Nothing happened," Shane explained.

Hunter's smirk was laced with hostility, "how stupid do you think I am. I saw you."

"It wasn't what it looked like," Shane reasoned, "she was sleepwalking."

"Right," Hunter scoffed, "so I guess she just walked right into your. waiting. naked. self."

Shane huffed, "I was wearing boxers. You know I sleep in my boxers."

Two girls walked passed them, eyed them and shared secretive smiles.

Hunter blinked at the action, "no!" he reasoned – yelling after them, "That wasn't what it _sounded _like."

"Exactly," Shane pointed out, jumping at the opportunity, "case and point. That night wasn't what it _looked_ like. We never slept together."

Hunter eyed him dubiously.

"We didn't," Shane insisted. "But _you_ sure as hell did."

Hunter made a face at that.

"What were you thinking," Shane questioned again.

Hunter buried his head in his hands, "I know," he stated disgusted. "It's so gross."

Shane wanted to slap him. "No," he corrected. "More like – 'Hell! She's my best friend's cousin."

Hunter's face colored with guilt.

Shane continued, "And a co-worker-"

"She wasn't my co-worker then," Hunter interrupted.

"She's a friend-"

"Kapri and I are _not_ friends," Hunter reminded.

"Then why?" Shane asked, "Why would you-"

"I was drunk," Hunter blurted, helplessly. "I was drunk."

Shane went silent.

"I would never have slept with her sober," Hunter digressed. "_Never_! She's the one who took advantage of me. I may have been drunk, but she sure as hell wasn't."

…

"Thank you," Marah thanked, jumping off Dustin's bike. She pulled off her helmet and handed it back to him.

It was the first time she had ever been on it, and normally a moment like this would have made her positively giddy, but her current situation didn't permit her to relish or bask in her happiness.

Dustin pulled off his helmet, and flashed her a radiant smile, "do you want some help."

Marah flashed him a coy smile, "its girl stuff," she noted. "Things are going to get real," she paused dramatically and added with a hint of doom, "_emotional_."

Dustin grinned.

"You'll probably be safer elsewhere," Marah enlightened.

"Man, am I glad that I'm a dude," Dustin laughed.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Marah bided, "wish me luck."

"Good luck," Dustin laughed. He watched her run up the front steps of the beach house. She turned around and waved. He waved back, and watched her head into the house – closing the door shut behind her.

…

Austin smiled and handed Matt a beer. The blonde's face looked traumatized.

Austin followed his gaze, and found Shane and Hunter arguing. The boys weren't loud, but from where Austin and Matt stood, they could definitely _hear_ all that was being said.

"You okay?" Austin asked, worriedly.

Matt took a sip of his beer, and turned to face him. "I was speaking with Faith earlier. She thinks we're lucky, because we've seen our parents."

Austin pursed his lips in thought, "but you don't agree."

Matt shook his head, "I don't know what to think."

"Look," Austin reminded. "Your dad and your mom – their love is legend. You've heard the stories."

"Hearing about it and witnessing it are two completely different things," Matt noted. "I didn't expect _this_."

"Everyone is just as confused as you are," Austin explained. "I know it all looks different, and nothing is the way _we_ know it to be, but we _know_ the way it's supposed to be. Time is a funny thing. People change."

Matt turned and watched as Hunter walked away from Shane. Shane's expression seemed baffled.

"I just hate this," Matt revealed. "The wait is killing me."

"Lothor will return," Austin reminded with a smile, "and then everything will start to make sense. He'll turn the ninja world upside down."

Matt took a swig of his beer, eyeing Shane, "chaos shall be restored," he muttered; quoting something yet to be written – verbatim. He turned to Austin and matched his cousin's grin, "music to my ears."

…

…

_**November 6, 2004:**_

…

"Ready to talk," Kelly asked, eyeing Tori as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

Tori hadn't managed to get much sleep last night. Her mind was just as confused as ever. She couldn't talk to anyone until she figured things out for herself first.

Tori shook her head, wordlessly.

Kelly nodded, easily. "No pressure. But if you need someone to talk to…"

Tori smiled thankfully, "I know."

…

"Killer hangover? How's your head?"

Kapri dropped the rock she was holding and grabbed her chest.

"Sorry," Shane chuckled.

"What are you doing here?" Kapri asked, wincing as she did so. She had escaped to the wind academy. The grounds were deserted. She didn't think anyone would have found her here.

"Me?" Shane grinned. "It's a Saturday. What are you doing _here_?"

"I needed to be alone," Kapri explained. She picked up the rock she had dropped earlier, and hurled it into the pond. She watched as it made a large splash. She stared pensively into oblivion for a moment, before turning back to Shane. "Thanks," she thanked. "Kelly told me what you did last night."

"That's what friends are for," Shane stated lightly.

Kapri smiled a small smile. "You're a good guy."

Shane scoffed, "Um…yeah, well. I wouldn't know about that."

Kapri blinked, "hunh?"

"How much of last night do you remember?" Shane questioned, cautiously.

Kapri shrugged, "not much…_why_?"

"You told me something," Shane explained.

Kapri paled, "what did I tell you?"

Shane paused. He took a deep breath, "about you and Hunter."

Kapri gasped and turned pink, "…oh no."

"I'm not going to tell anyone," Shane enlightened.

Kapri buried her head in her hands, "oh god!"

"But um…" Shane treaded; guilt written all over his face, "I, um. Well you see the thing is, I-I…"

Kapri peeked through her fingers at him, and let her hands fall from her face slowly. She stared at him expectantly.

Shane summoned his courage, "I was mad that Hunter would just use you like that, so I confronted him-"

"Oh hell!" Kapri interrupted. "Great. He's going to hate me even more than he did before."

"Kapri," Shane revealed, "Hunter told me that he was drunk."

Kapri paled, sensing what he was about to say next.

"But you, um," Shane stated nervously, "you _weren't_."

She huffed and stared at the ground.

"You hate him, right?" Shane asked.

"Of course I hate him," Kapri yelled, despite herself. "The guy drives me nuts."

"Then why…" Shane questioned; his tone anxious.

Kapri made a face. Her face scrunched up as if she was going to cry, but she didn't. When she finally looked up and met his gaze, her broken expression, made Shane go numb. "I don't know why," her voice a hush.

Shane took a careful step towards her. "May I say something? And I hope you don't take it the wrong way."

Kapri looked up at him worriedly.

"Something's changed in you," Shane noted. "And I'm not referring to your night with Hunter. I've noticed it – before that. You seem tired. Confused. Distant. And last night, when I was talking to you, you were-" Shane took a deep breath and stopped himself short.

Kapri narrowed her eyes at him.

"I don't like the way you see yourself," Shane explained. "It scares me. I fear for you."

Kapri sighed, "Shane. I'm flattered by your concern, but-"

"You need help," Shane blurted.

Kapri's eyes widened, "what?"

Shane's face colored with worry, guilt, and shame. "Talking to someone will-"

"You think I need a shrink!" Kapri shrieked despite herself.

"Talking to a professional might be just what you _need_," Shane reasoned. "You need-"

"What I _need_ is for you to butt out," Kapri yelled. "How dare you!"

"Kapri I'm just trying to help," Shane explained.

"I don't need your help," Kapri fretted. "I don't need anyone's help."

"Kapri-"

"I thought you were my friend!"

"I am!"

She rolled her eyes, spun around, and began walking quickly away.

Shane chased after her, and grabbed her. "Kapri!"

"Go away!" She pushed him away.

He reached for her again, and pulled her towards him, "Kap just listen-"

"Let go of me," she tried to shake his hold.

He refused to let go. "Kap. Would you just-"

"Leave me alone!" She fought against him.

He held her firmly. "Kapri!"

She fought him. "I don't need your help."

"Kap!" He shook her hard.

"I don't need help!" she screamed, her voice shook.

"Kap?"

"I don't need help," her voice was a sob now.

Shane tried to hug her, in order to calm her down.

She burst into tears, "I don't need help."

Shane hugged her as she cried, "I'm sorry."

She cried harder in his arms.

…

…

_**November 20, 2004:**_

…

They were in Reefside.

Austin, Paige, Hope, Matt, Faith, and Noah watched from afar.

The scene was one of chaos.

They watched as Vexacus ran into the base – capitalizing on the destruction being caused around him.

Noah stared at his watch, "any moment now..."

The building exploded.

Hope's face twitched, anxiously, "...Come on, you cockroach!"

Noah put a hand on her shoulder, to comfort her.

Matt narrowed his eyes at the scene, "Where is he?"

"We should have gone closer," Faith argued, "what if he got away."

Austin perked up, suddenly, "Guys! Look!"

The teens followed his gaze.

Vexacus was crawling out of the rubble. He held something in his hands.

"Is he holding what I think he's holding," Paige whispered.

"It has to be this way," Noah reminded.

They watched as Vexacus got to his feet, and took off. Bolting from the scene.

Noah held a hand up.

"We should just kill _he-who-shall-not-be-named_ now," Austin lamented. "We could save them the heartache."

Matt shook his head, "I would love to spare them the pain. Trust me. No one would want that more than me. But you've heard the stories."

Hope nodded, "if it weren't for what happens next. Some of us might not have even been born."

"Lothor isn't our target," Noah prompted. "Remember that." After a few minutes, Noah lowered his hands, "Now!" he ordered.

His comrades sprang into action, and took off after Vexacus.

…

…

_**November 25, 2004:**_

…

"Good morning," Kelly greeted brightly; opening her front door, only to be greeted by Dustin and Cam. "Where's Shane, Blake and Hunter?"

"Still sleeping," Dustin stated with a grin.

Kelly ushered them into the house. The boys followed her into the kitchen, where they were greeted by the rest of the girls.

They all greeted each other with spontaneous _hey's_, _good morning's_ and _what's up's_?

Kelly and Kapri shared a secretive devious look.

"Kelly and I are going to Kelly's," Kapri informed, "we're making and serving holiday meals to the homeless."

Cam nodded at that appreciatively, "that's nice. What made-"

"Wait!" Dustin interrupted, "if you two are going to be _there_, then who's going to be _here_."

"We will," Tori explained, motioning to herself and Marah as she spoke.

Dustin and Cam shared terrified stares and blanched.

"You two are making Thanksgiving dinner," Dustin asked slowly; trying desperately to hide the fear from his voice.

Marah nodded brightly, "Yeah! It's going to be awesome."

Dustin and Cam plastered fake smiles on to their faces, while Kapri and Kelly tried their best not to laugh.

…

Hunter hung up the phone and looked at Shane. "Their plane gets here at three."

Shane glanced at his watch, "that's in two hours." He made a face like he was debating something, "I gonna take a shower." He then left the living room.

Blake rubbed the side of his temples.

Hunter turned to look at Blake, "have you spoken to Kira since she, you know, left."

Blake shook his head. "But she did write me a letter...we're _cool_, I think."

The front door opened, followed by the sound of shuffling feet, and the door slamming shut.

Hunter and Blake paid it no attention.

"Everything will be fine," Hunter assured.

Blake flashed him a weak smile.

"Everything will _not_ be fine," Dustin lamented, as he and Cam stepped into the room.

Hunter and Blake turned to face them curiously.

"What! Why?" Blake demanded.

"Because Thanksgiving is ruined," Dustin sulked. He collapsed dramatically on to the couch – belly flopping onto it, and played dead.

Hunter smirked but narrowed his eyes. He turned to look at Cam expectantly, "explain."

"Kelly and Kapri are feeding the homeless," Cam informed.

Hunter and Blake exchanged quizzical looks.

"I'm sorry," Hunter pondered, "how is that a _bad_ thing?"

"They left _Tori_ and _Marah_ in charge of Thanksgiving dinner," Cam revealed.

Dustin made a noise into the cushions that sounded like a scream and a horrible choking sob.

Blake looked from Cam to Hunter confused. "And that's bad?" he reasoned.

Cam made a face.

Hunter turned to look at him with an expression filled with terror and nausea, "it's _very_ bad."

…

Kelly and Kapri burst into a fit of laughter as they made their way onto their driveway, and headed towards Kelly's 1963 black mercury comet.

Kapri jumped into the red leather passenger seat, "are we horrible people?"

"No way," Kelly dismissed, taking a seat behind the wheel. "This is too much fun."

"The look on Cam and Dustin's faces were priceless," Kapri reminded.

The two of them burst out laughing again, at the memory of it all.

"Do you think the house will still be standing when we get back?" Kelly snickered.

"They'll survive," Kapri grinned, and then stated with a shrug, "who knows. Maybe Tor and Marah will surprise us and it'll all be edible."

They looked at each other. A beat passed between them. Kelly arched an eyebrow and Kapri fought a smile, before they burst into another fit of laughter.

"Should we tell them that we've got dinner _covered_, and just spare them all the torment?" Kapri stated, dabbing at her eyes.

Kelly clutched at her stomach, in attempt to stop the laughter, "hell no. We hafta see how this all plays out."

…

Marah made a face and stared at the uncooked turkey, "forget it. I'm a vegetarian now."

Tori smirked and stared at her computer, "we should heat it to one-sixty-five or one-eighty. I say one-eighty."

"Aren't we supposed to pull out all of its _internal_ gunk first," Marah asked, poking at the turkey with a wooden spoon.

"I'm _not_ sticking my hands in there," Tori stated quickly.

Marah's eyes widened, "well neither am _I_. It's so gross."

"Well someone has to do it," Tori reminded.

"I'm not doing it," Marah informed, terrified.

Tori took a step back, "and you think _I_ want to."

"But _you're_ the one who suggested that we cover for Kap and Kel," Marah reminded. "I was perfectly content with eating non-traditional food or even starving. So this," she motioned around herself and the kitchen, "is _your_ fault."

Tori made a face, but sighed nonetheless, because what Marah spoke was truth. She was to blame for shouldering the task of cooking Thanksgiving dinner, because cooking dinner provided her with a distraction. And she desperately craved a distraction.

A heavy silence fell over both of them, until Tori finally broke it.

"Okay," Tori offered. "Rock. Paper. Scissors."

"Nuh-unh," Marah disagreed.

"Marah," Tori reasoned.

"Noooooohhhh," Marah pleaded.

Tori flashed her a stern look until she caved.

"Fine," Marah pouted. She balled her hand into a fist.

Tori took a deep breath, and did the same. "Ready?"

Marah made a face, but began moving her fist.

"Rock. Paper. Scissors."

…

"Save yourselves," Cam offered. "Don't worry about us."

Connor's grin was a laugh in disguise, "it can't be _that_ bad."

"Trust us," Dustin reasoned. "Marah made cookies once and well – Kapri described them as ass flavoured…truer words were never spoken."

"Well what about Tori," Ethan reminded.

"The only thing Tori can make is toast," Shane explained. "And she almost always burns it."

Hunter huffed, "its official! We're eating charcoaled turkey and warm rolls that taste like rear."

"I saw a Cinnabon's at the entrance," Blake proposed, "we could fill up on that."

Kira nodded quickly at that, "I've got my purse. We could load up on it as well. It might kill the taste of whatever we face tonight."

"They say smell and taste are linked," Cam noted.

Connor shook his head and grinned, "So we're going to be _sniffing_ cinnamon buns all night?"

Ethan laughed, "You guys really know how to keep things interesting."

…

Vexacus's head snapped up, and he sniffed the air like a shark sniffing blood.

He narrowed his eyes and scanned his surroundings. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. It plagued him.

But he couldn't spot anything out of the ordinary.

He dismissed the thought and sprang into action again – a man on a mission – on a path that directed straight towards a clearing: the abyss of evil.

…

Tori's eyes widened and watched as the stove shook. "Oh my god!"

Marah's hands flew to her cheeks, "I don't understand! I followed the instructions!"

The door of the stove flew open, and globs of sticky flour oozed from the opening like a grizzly wound.

"Oh no!" Tori cried. "The rolls!" She quickly ran for an oven glove. "How the frackity-frack did you manage to screw up _rolls_?"

"I followed the instructions," Marah insisted. She picked up the recipe, "One cup of shortening. One cup of milk. Half a cup of warm water. One and a half T.S.P's of active dry yeast. One T.S.P's of white sugar. Two eggs. Half a cup of white sugar-"

"Wait!" Tori interrupted. She looked at Marah, "T.S.P's – what do you think it _means_?"

Marah shrugged, "ten square pounds."

Tori buried her head in her hands and groaned.

"It doesn't?" Marah asked dumbfounded.

"No Marah," Tori huffed, "it means_ teaspoons_!"

Marah's mouth hung open in shock. "…my bad."

…

"You'll be with us," Hunter explained to Connor and Ethan. He then looked at Kira, "and Kira will be with the girls."

The lot of them were currently standing in the driveway that connected to the boys' beach house.

"You'll have a room to yourself," Cam explained to Kira, "they have a spare room."

Kira smiled brightly, "cool."

"Ethan'll be in my room," Shane explained further, "and Connor you'll be in Hunter's."

Ethan's eyes widened, "oh come on man. There's no need for that. We're cool with sleeping on the couch."

Connor nodded in agreement.

Shane shook his head, "no way. And it's no trouble."

Hunter grinned, "plus it had to be our rooms. You would never be able to find Dustin's bed."

Dustin wiggled his eyebrows and grinned broadly at that.

"Cam's got tech stuff all over the place in his," Hunter further explained, "and Blake's still got luggage all over the place."

"I'm still unpacking," Blake defended.

"You'd think these two were military men or something," Dustin joked, smacking both Shane and Hunter on their backs. "Their rooms are freakishly neat. You could probably eat soup straight off their floors."

Hunter rolled his eyes at him.

Shane grinned, "Follow us. We'll show you where to put your things."

"You're probably exhausted," Blake noted. "Jet lagged?"

"Terribly," Connor agreed.

"I'll walk you up," Cam offered, turning to look at Kira. He nodded in the direction of the girls' beach hosue. "Marah and Tori will take good care of you. That is, unless they haven't destroyed the house, or themselves by now."

Kira laughed at that, and followed him as he led the way.

…

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" Kelly screamed. She was drenched to the bone, and using her hand as a shield.

Kapri whipped out her cell phone to call for help.

…

Cam rang the doorbell. The sound of yelling could be heard – coming from inside the house.

Kira and him exchanged sheepish looks.

His cell phone rang suddenly, and he pulled it out. "Hello?"

"Cam!" Kapri's frantic voice yelled from the other line. "I need your help."

"Why? What's wrong?" he asked, his features tensing with worry.

Kira eyed him curiously; just as the front door flew open to reveal Tori.

Tori's hair clung to her face. Her face was flushed. And she looked tired.

In the background, Cam could hear Kelly screaming for Kapri.

"Just get to Kelly's!" Kapri ordered; she hung up abruptly.

Cam turned to face Tori, just as she was extending her hand in greeting to Kira. "Look after her. I've got to run."

"Is everything alright?" Kira asked, worriedly.

Tori turned to face him, confused.

"I hope so," Cam replied. "I'll see you later," he waved quickly and ran down the stoop.

Tori and Kira watched him go before Tori finally turned to Kira, "come on in."

…

"So Lothor's gone," Shane repeated, just to make sure.

Connor nodded, "the whole place exploded, man."

"Doctor Mercer said he was basically a toy anyways," Ethan reminded, "I hardly doubt he just upped and got away."

"Can't say I'll miss the bastard," Hunter joked, but his tone revealed the true nature of his relief.

"Here, here," Dustin toasted.

Shane nodded in agreement, "amen to that," he stated with a grin.

…

"I'm a _tech_ whiz," Cam clarified to a very frazzled Kapri.

Kapri wasn't having it, "poh-tay-toe. Puh-tah-toe."

"Kap," Cam reasoned, just as his cousin pushed him into the kitchen. The doors gave way easily and he stumbled into the vicinity – only to find Kelly wrapping a large dishrag around a bunch of other dishrags, all of which were tied around a water pipe that had come undone.

Kelly caught sight of him, "thank god. What took you so long?"

Cam turned to face Kapri desperately. Ordinarily, he would have died at the off chance to hang out with Kelly, but he didn't have the foggiest clue about repairing a pipe. If it was something computer related – definitely, for Cam was one hundred percent more brains than brawn.

"For the hundredth time," Cam reasoned, "I don't know how to fix that pipe."

A volunteer stuck her head through the kitchen door suddenly and called for Kapri.

Cam grabbed her hand quickly before she could retreat. "Don't you dare," he begged.

"You've been alone with Kelly before," Kapri reminded him, through a harsh whisper. "I don't have time to hold your hand right now. I've got a room full of people who need food. Not to mention, our own Thanksgiving dinner…"

Cam started at that, "but what about Tori and Marah?"

"That was a _joke_," Kapri explained, hurriedly. "Kel and I aren't _that_ mean. We weren't seriously going to make you eat garbage. Kelly and I were going to surprise you all when we came home."

"Kapri!"

It was another volunteer screaming for help this time.

Kapri huffed, turned to look over her shoulder, and yelled, "I'm coming!"

"Kap!" Kelly begged in a warning tone. The water was still gushing through the cloth Kelly had tied around the pipe.

"Help her," Kapri pleaded.

Cam opened his mouth to protest, but Kapri had already fled through the kitchen doors.

…

"Oh. My. God," Kira breathed in shock, surveying the damage as she spoke.

"Chef Marah thought it meant ten square pounds," Tori mocked.

Marah picked up a dishrag and threw it at her, "oh shut up! I panicked. Probably because you pushed my hand up that things butt," Marah lamented, staring daggers at the turkey.

"Hey, you're the one that violated it," Tori joked.

Marah stared at her scandalized, "You bee-atch! You pushed my ha-"

A loud knock at the door silenced them.

Kira looked at her watch, "well that was fast," she commented. "The boys sure got settled quickly."

Marah eyes widened as realization struck her, "Oh my god! Noah, Faith, Paige-"

"Oh my god!" Tori panicked.

Kira narrowed her eyes confused, "Who?"

…

Kelly looked around frantically. Where the hell was a dishrag when you needed one? Her gaze fell on Cam, "Give me your shirt," she ordered.

Cam paled, "I beg your pardon."

"Your shirt!" Kelly demanded.

"But I-I-"

"Well I'm not taking off _my_ shirt," Kelly interrupted.

Cam blushed red at that, and quickly obeyed.

He barely had a chance to pull it off his head, before Kelly had yanked it away from him.

Kelly worked quickly and tied it around the pipe. She took a step back, pushed her wet hair out of her face, folded her hands over her chest, and sighed. "Okay," she theorized; refusing to take her eyes off the unstable pipe. "That should hold it for now. I'm going to call Hunter."

She was drenched to the skin and freezing. She finally turned to look at Cam and froze. Her gaze never made it to his face, but rather she found herself enthralled by the sheer chiselled structure of his chest. She had never in her wildest dreams fathomed that he would look like _that_ without his shirt on. Cam usually donned loose, preppy shirts. If she had to have guessed what he looked like underneath – she would have guessed stocky, not…_this_.

She must have been staring long enough to garner attention, because he waved his hand in front of her face suddenly and stared at her with concern.

Kelly blinked; her cheeks flamed red with embarrassment, guilt and shame. She finally caught her bearings to notice that Kapri had come back into the kitchen. Her friend was eyeing her with a smirk. Cam didn't seem to notice.

"Are you alright?" Cam asked.

"I'm fine," Kelly blurted quickly; trying her hardest to keep her gaze on his face.

Cam nodded lamely, "Okay…well, do you have any spare shirts lying around?"

"There should be a box in the storage room," Kapri explained, referring to the shirts that the bartenders were usually forced to wear.

Kelly didn't say anything, but began to chastise herself mentally – for she deemed herself shallow for ogling him in such a manner. Not to mention, he was dating Tori.

I'm a horrible person, Kelly cried mentally.

"Great," Cam said, he turned to face Kelly, "you'd better call Hunter. Connor, Kira, and Ethan are already here. There's no telling how many beers he's downed by now. You better get a hold of him while he's sober."

Kapri paled at that, "don't call Hunter!"

Cam and Kelly turned to look at her incredulously.

"I-I-I-I-What I meant was, that you might as well call Shane, Dustin or Blake," Kapri backtracked, "you know how Hunter party's."

Kelly arched an eyebrow, "you make him sound like a drunk. He drinks just as much as the other boys."

Kapri huffed, "Fine," she made a face, "Well how about the fact that I _hate_ him. That should be reason enough to call someone else."

Cam made a face, "I really wish you two would just get along," he stated with a whistful sigh, and with that said he turned and left in search of the stockroom.

"What is with you and Hunter," Kelly asked, once he was out of earshot.

Kapri turned to face her with wide eyes, "what do you mean?"

"You two have been acting different," Kelly noted, "what gives?"

"Nothing," Kapri shrieked defensively.

Kelly narrowed her eyes at her, "doesn't _seem_ that way."

Kapri arched an eyebrow, "really? Are you _seriously_ suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"

"Whaddayou think I'm suggesting?" Kelly played.

Kapri made a face at her and stared at her in silence. After a beat, she said, "two can play that game."

Kelly arched an eyebrow, in a 'bring it' gesture.

"You were drooling over _Cam_," Kapri stated deviously, calling her out.

Kelly flushed pink and gasped, "I was _not_."

Kapri arched an eyebrow.

Kelly looked away in embarrassment.

A heavy silence fell over them.

Kelly finally met Kapri's gaze again, "Kap?"

"Yeah?"

"This conversation – never happened."

Kapri smiled, "what conversation?"

Kelly grinned.

…

"Where are Matt, Noah and Hope?" Tori questioned, eyeing her three new friends curiously.

"They've got something to take care of," Faith explained. "They'll be here later."

"Who's your friend?" Paige inquired, nodding to Kira with a smile.

"My bad," Tori smacked herself in the head, "I'm still learning manners. This is my friend Kira. She's from Reefside. She's visiting us," Tori introduced.

Kira waved and greeted the three with a bright smile.

"Kira," Tori continued, "this is Faith."

Faith flashed her a radiant smile, nodded in her direction, and greeted her with a "hey."

"Austin," Tori moved on.

Austin extended his hand towards Kira's. She accepted it and shook it.

"Nice to meet you," he grinned.

Kira arched an eyebrow, curiously, "have we met?"

Austin shook his head slowly, "I don't think so."

Kira pursed her lips in thought, "you look like someone I know."

Austin seemed to go pale at that. Paige squeezed his hand, assuringly.

"Maybe I've just got one of those faces," he stated gruffly.

Kira and Tori blinked in surprise at his sudden bitter tone, but then he laughed suddenly, and the awkward tension disappeared.

"And this is Austin's lovely girlfriend Paige," Tori finished.

Paige turned pink at that, "lovely? You're too kind," she dismissed nervously, but she was beaming. She turned to Kira, "nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Kira agreed.

…

"Wait?" Dustin asked confused, "you guys _graduated_?"

"Reefside's school year is different from most," Ethan explained, "we start in February and end in November."

Dustin opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the sound of his cell phone ringing. Instead he snapped his mouth shut, held up his hand in apology, looked at his phone, brightened, and said, "I've got to take this," he got up, and hurried away.

Shane turned to Ethan and Connor, "you guys should freshen up – go take a nap or a shower or both," he suggested. "It might be a while, until dinner is ready."

Ethan and Connor nodded in agreement.

"That sounds really good, actually," Connor concurred.

"Let us know when dinner is ready if we're not back soon," Ethan said, "just in case we've dozed off or something."

Shane grinned, "Will do."

The boys waved goodbye and disappeared into the back of the house – towards the bedrooms; leaving Shane and Hunter alone.

Hunter stood up suddenly, "I'm going to get a start on painting that porch swing," he informed. "It might be a while before we eat."

"That thing has been looking frayed lately," Shane acknowledge. "Do you need some help?"

Hunter shook his head, "nope. I'm good."

Dustin hurried back into the room suddenly, looking positively ill and petrified.

Shane and Hunter stared at him in wonder.

"What's up dude?" Shane asked confused.

"Who called?" Hunter rationalized, figuring that Dustin's spooked appearance and the phone call he received were connected.

He was right.

"Marah called," Dustin droned. "They need to use our stove."

"They haven't started cooking yet?" Hunter questioned incredulously.

"Wait," Shane calmed, coming to a realization. He looked at Dustin confused, "what happened to their stove?"

Hunter blinked at that, and turned to look at Dustin too.

"They _broke_ it," Dustin groused; his tone filled with pure horror.

…

"Hey guys," Marah greeted Austin, Paige, and Faith brightly as she came into the room.

The trio greeted her with just as much enthusiasm.

She then turned to Tori, "Dustin says we can use their stove."

Tori breathed a heavy sigh of relief, "great," but her tone held a twinge of anxiety to it, for Thanksgiving dinner at the boys' house meant that she was now forced to see more of Blake than she had intended.

…

"Everything looks delicious," Cam assured, jumping into the backseat of Kelly's car.

"Thanks," Kapri rejoiced, tucking the food into the trunk and slamming the lid shut.

Kelly flung Kapri her keys, "you drive."

Kapri caught it effortlessly.

"Fighting with that water pipe all day has left me physically drained," Kelly huffed.

"Hey," Kapri whined and pointed out, "_I'm_ the one who had to cook everything! You spent the entire day taking a bath."

"I could have lived without that bath," Kelly winced, but she smiled nonetheless. Thank god, one of her bartenders had forgotten to pick up his paycheck. There had been no need to call for help once he had shown up. He had fixed the pipe effortlessly. Kelly had felt bad, so she paid him extra for the inconvenience.

"Do you want the backseat," Cam offered, "you can stretch out and take a nap."

"That sounds good," Kelly agreed. "You mind riding shotgun?"

"Nope," Cam replied, jumping out of the back.

Kelly climbed into the backseat, and settled in, "wake me when we're at home."

"Kay, kay," Kapri agreed. She pulled open the driver's door, just as Cam slid into the passenger side.

"Everyone's going to be so surprised," Cam noted, as Kapri settled in behind the wheel.

Kapri smiled brightly, "I know, right!"

And with that, she pulled out of the Kelly's parking lot, and headed towards the beach house.

…

"That's adorable," Paige cooed gleefully, staring at the little red wagon Marah guided along the path towards the boys' beach house.

"Where did you find that thing?" Tori questioned skyward.

"In the garage," Marah explained happily, "it's spacious and durable."

"You sound like an infomercial," Faith joked.

Marah struck a pose and waved her hand around the wagon, showing off its curves.

The group laughed in response.

Austin, Paige and Faith fell into step with Tori, Marah, and Kira as they led the way.

Marah sandwiched herself between Kira and Tori quickly, and whispered, "not a word about my T.S.P. mishap, mmkay?" she begged.

The girls nodded.

"Don't worry," Tori stated with a sigh, "my lips are sealed. I _owe_ you that much."

"We've got your back," Kira agreed.

"Need some help there?" Austin yelled, causing the girls to whirl around and face him. He nodded towards the stoop.

Marah bit her lip, "I didn't think of that."

Austin grinned, "Don't worry. I'll grab one end."

"And Hunter will grab the other," Tori explained, taking note of Hunter's form on the porch. "Yo! Hunter!" Tori hollered.

Her blonde friend perked up suddenly, stood up – dropping whatever it was that he had been doing, turned around and peered down at them.

"Help us bring this up," Tori ordered.

Hunter grinned and headed down the stairs towards them. "Hey guys," he greeted Austin, Paige, and Faith, "you guys made it after all."

Austin grinned, "wouldn't miss it." He grabbed one end of the wagon, while Hunter grabbed the other, and began to carry it up the stairs.

Once they reached the porch, they put it down.

"Where is everyone?" Tori asked, taking note of Hunter's current loner status.

"Blake's in the house," Hunter revealed, "and the others are on the beach."

Tori seemed to blanche a little, but the ill look she donned disappeared as quickly as it had come. Instead she pointed to the porch swing, "you're painting the swing? About time."

Hunter stuffed his hands into his pockets, "yeah," he agreed. "That thing was in desperate need of a good paint job."

"Want some help?" Austin offered.

Hunter shook his head, "no. I'm good."

"Well then. Marah and I better get to it," Tori informed.

Marah groaned out a whine in response - everyone either laughed sympathetically or 'aawwwweee'd at her. Everyone, expect for Hunter.

He regarded her action, with indifference.

Tori whom was used to this, simply sidestepped them, and headed towards the house. She motioned to a confused looking Austin to help her bring in the wagon.

Marah skittishly followed them into the house, and avoided making eye contact with Hunter.

The rest of the group fell quiet in awkward silence; completely confused by Marah and Hunter's exchange. But while they were all confused, only Kira's confusion stemmed from curiosity. Paige, Austin, and Faith donned stupefied expressions – looks that conveyed that Hunter's treatment of Marah was uncharacteristic.

Everyone disappeared into the house, save for Kira. She waited until everyone had left, before she asked, "What was _that_ about?"

Hunter turned to look at her confused, "_what_?"

"_That_," Kira emphasized, "between you and Marah. Do you guys not like each other?"

"You could say that," Hunter responded lightly, before turning back to the porch swing. He picked up a paint brush, and dipped it into his can of white paint.

"Why?"

"Long story," Hunter stated in a tone that suggested that the matter was closed for discussion.

Kira nodded, but said, "She seems scared of you."

Hunter laughed at that, "Does she?"

"Yeah," Kira noted, she hefted herself onto the balcony that framed the porch and sat upon it. "It's so strange."

"What is," Hunter asked. He flinched when the brush accidentally fell from his hands; he made a move to catch it but instead, he grabbed it awkwardly, and got paint all over his hands.

"That she's afraid of you," Kira explained, her legs dangling off the balcony as she spoke, "You don't seem so bad."

Hunter turned to face her. His expression mischievous, "that's because you don't know me _well_ enough."

…

Matt frowned and watched as Vexacus stood smack-dab in the middle of the clearing. He turned to Noah quickly and heatedly whispered, "what if he teleports to space? Shouldn't we just kill him now before we lose him?"

"No," Noah warned quietly. "If we do that, then we ruin any chance of Lothor returning. We have to bid our time, and just let everything play out."

Beside him, Hope looked absolutely ill.

Matt licked his lips, and looked at her worriedly, "how are you holding up?"

"I'm okay," she lied - her voice a murmur, "you?"

"Fine," Matt concurred under his breath, but even as he said it, Noah realized that it was a lie.

"I should have brought Austin with me," Noah snapped; his voice a whisper. "You two shouldn't even be _here_!"

"We're the best chance you've got if he spots you," Matt reminded harshly – his voice almost inaudible.

"Exactly," Hope agreed softly, "it's not like you or Austin could track him anyways. You would have needed either me _or_ Faith."

Noah made a face, ignored them, but then added worriedly, "the moment that thing opens – you two need to double back. You know what will hap-"

"We know," Hope snapped; interrupting him. She winced and touched her head. After a moment, she apologized through another whisper, "I'm sorry. My heads killing me. The negative energy around here is so thick. You could cut it with a knife."

Vexacus yelled loudly suddenly, causing the three of them to peek cautiously from their hiding place.

"What the hell is he doing?" Matt asked; his voice was punitive but low.

He got his answer.

The ground trembled lightly.

Hope's eyes widened "hold on," she screamed through a harsh whisper. She grabbed at the blades of grass in front of her, lay flat on her stomach and held on for dear life.

"What's happening?" Noah freaked.

Hope stared at the two of them, with wide hazel eyes, "he's summoning more than just the Kelzack's!"

…

"I'm going to the bathroom," Marah bidded, before heading out of the kitchen.

Tori turned to look at Austin, "just put it down there," she instructed. She then clapped her hands together and surveyed the kitchen, before turning back towards Austin, Paige, and Faith, "you three go sit in the living room," she dismissed, "I'll let you know when dinner is ready."

"We can help," Faith offered.

Tori shook her head, "absolutely not. You're our guests! Now shoo."

The three smiled at her broadly, and obeyed.

Once Tori was out of earshot, Paige turned to Faith and Austin, "what the hell was _that_?" she questioned; her face fell from the front she'd been keeping – she looked upset.

"The porch," Faith stated knowingly. "I know - that was so weird, right? I got major ill vibes radiating off them both!"

Paige gasped at that.

Blake entered the living room suddenly and waved at them.

Paige and Faith, covered quickly, and waved back at him brightly.

Austin didn't even try to hide his annoyance and huffed under his breath, "I just want _out_ of this place. I can't stand it here. I miss home."

Blake seemed to sense Austin's animosity, and left the room wordlessly.

Paige and Faith turned and stared at Austin cautiously – the boy had folded his hands over his chest, and chose to stare off into oblivion instead.

…

Marah had made it past Blake, Cam and Dustin's room – she was in the middle of the hallway, stuck between Hunter and Shane's adjacent rooms and the bathroom, when the floor beneath her shook suddenly.

She lost her balance, fell to the ground, and crouched into a fetal position. Her mind immediately flew to thoughts of Kapri and Dustin, but the images and worry for her sister and her crush was interrupted abruptly by a killer headache.

Killer was an understatement, because her head felt like it was going too exploded. She grabbed at her head and let a bloodcurdling painful scream rip through the air.

…

Connor toppled backwards, while Ethan stared at his fallen friend in pure shock.

The earth shook violently.

Shane and Dustin sprung into action – their ninja skills taking over.

"Don't move," Shane ordered.

The boys obeyed.

Dustin's face was tense, "this isn't _nature's_ work," he yelled – speaking for his element.

Shane knew that Dustin's words were true. Only a child of earth could tell the difference.

"_Why_ is this happening," Shane screamed; the earth beneath him groaned loudly.

Dustin's face was troubled, "I don't know."

…

Tori dropped the pot she was holding, and screamed.

The turkey hit the floor hard, and vibrated along the tiles. It looked like it was dancing.

Dishes fell to the floor around her. Her mind quickly kicked into overdrive, she made a move to dive for the kitchen table, but lost her balance due to the floor's shuddering.

Hands grabbed her suddenly and pulled her up and towards safety, before she could collide with the floor.

She looked up at her savior, and realized that it was Blake.

Throwing caution out the window, she threw her arms around him.

Blake's strong arms encircled her waist, and pulled her close.

She buried her face in his neck, and relished in his warmth – all the while ignoring the chaos that brewed around them.

…

The scream she tried to voice, caught in her throat.

Kira's eyes widened as the balcony shook.

She was being hurled backwards, by the sheer suddenness of it all.

On impulse she closed her eyes, waiting for the fall that was expected to come – but instead she felt herself being pulled forward.

Her eyes flew open in time, just as Hunter pulled her off the balcony and onto the porch. He yanked her towards him, and backtracked closer to the exterior walls of the house.

…

Kapri swerved suddenly.

Cam turned to look at her in alarm. He opened his mouth to reason with her that it was just an earthquake – and all she had to do was pull over, but his cousin surprised him.

In an action, that chilled both Cam and Kelly to their core – Kapri let go of the wheel and screamed in pain. She grabbed at her head, while the car spun out of control.

…

Marah took a deep breath.

The pain in her head began to subside, but the echoes of her scream still rung in her ear.

She blinked rapidly, all the while trying to catch her bearings - but the feeling of cold terror began to spread through her veins.

The screams she heard weren't a resonance of her own, but of another.

Someone else had been screaming.

Someone in the house.

Marah got up quickly, suffered a severe head-rush and wobbled. She grabbed at the wall and clutched at her head.

Glancing around, she soon realized where the screams had come from.

It had come from Shane's room.

…

"Do you guys usually get earthquakes?" Ethan asked in a shaky voice.

Shane shook his head.

Dustin's gaze lingered off towards the distance – to where the beach house stood. "We should get back, and check on everyone," he noted.

The others nodded in agreement.

…

Tori finally realized what she was doing, and pulled away from Blake awkwardly.

Blake's gaze was fixed on her face, and filled with nothing but concern. "Are you alright?" he cautioned.

Tori nodded quicker and longer than she should have, "yeah," she blurted. She avoided making eye contact with him, and blushed – tucking a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

Her gaze fell to the floor and she gasped.

Blake's eyes widened, "what's wrong?"

"The turkey!" Tori wailed. "Dinner's ruined!"

…

Kira looked up at Hunter.

He let his hands fall from her waist.

She lost herself in his eyes. She hadn't noticed how cute he was before now. But standing here, standing this close…

"Oh my god!"

Kira snapped out of her trance, and blinked.

Hunter stared down at her in shock, "your cloths!"

She looked down, then back up, and grinned, "It's just paint."

"I'm sorry," Hunter apologized, "I got it all over you."

"It's a low price to pay," Kira dismissed. She looked at him meaningfully, "you saved my life."

Hunter laughed at that, "it's whatever," he brushed off.

"It's not _whatever_," Kira insisted. "I owe you."

He scoffed lightly, "no you don't."

Kira wasn't having it, "yes, I do."

Hunter rolled his eyes, "_no_, you do-"

"What happened to you?" Connor interrupted – stepping onto the porch, and taking note of the paint on the hem of Kira's shirt and the waist of Kira's white jeans.

"Are you two alright?" Shane questioned.

"We're fine," Hunter informed, "but Kira's cloths…"

"What happened?" Ethan asked, eyeing both Kira and Hunter with an arched eyebrow.

"She was sitting on the balcony," Hunter explained, "when the earthquake happened and-"

Connor gasped, and turned to look her over, "but you're okay?"

"I'm fine," Kira insisted. "Thanks to Hunter, the aftermath of that rescue, equals this," she motioned to the paint stains on her cloths.

The boys took note of the half-finished porch.

"You should go freshen up, dude," Dustin noted – staring at Kira as he said this.

Kira nodded.

Dustin then turned to the group, "I'm gonna head in, and check on everyone else."

"I'll go with you," Shane announced, "dinner should be ready, I think."

…

Kapri blinked repeatedly, and panted loudly – struggling to catch her breath.

Cam had somehow taken full control of the situation, and had managed to pull the car over to the side of the road - from the passenger seat.

"Kap?"

She took a deep breath and turned to face a very petrified looking Cam.

Kelly's quivering voice floated towards her from the backseat. Kapri didn't turn around to face her, but continued staring at Cam.

Cam furrowed his eyebrows at her, "are you alright?"

Kapri struggled to find her voice, when she did, it came out as a squeak, "I think so."

Kelly narrowed her eyes at her incredulously, "that was not okay. That was anything _but_ okay."

Kapri took a calming breath, "it was just nerves," she fibbed, "I think I had a panic attack."

"You looked like you were in pain," Kelly shotback, but her tone was filled with worry.

"I'm fine," Kapri lied.

Cam unbuckled his seat belt, "I'll drive," he instructed.

Kapri nodded wordlessly, got out of the car, and quietly exchanged seats with Cam.

…

"Marah?"

Marah started - nearly jumping out her skin. She turned to face Shane with a 'deer-in-the-headlights' expression.

"What are you doing in my room?" Shane questioned, while approaching her with a curious look.

"I-I-heard s-someone scream," she explained lamely.

Shane arched an eyebrow, "… from _my_ room?"

"Yes," Marah revealed, pathetically.

Shane laughed, "Did you find anyone?"

Marah flushed pink, "n-no."

Shane grinned but eyed her with concern, "are you alright?"

"The earthquake just, um, it startled me, that's all," she explained.

Shane nodded, "okay," he brightened, "I'm glad that's _all_ it was."

"Oh?" she asked curiously.

"Better that than you thinking I'm some psycho hiding a girl in here," he joked playfully.

"I would _never_ think that," Marah laughed.

"Good," Shane played – his tone was borderline maniacal.

Marah laughed, "You're insane."

Shane arched an eyebrow and smiled, "Ssshh! It's our secret."

…

Kira was never one to wear dresses. She had packed one purely by chance. You never knew when you'd need a good dress, so she'd packed one on the whim.

Boy was she ever glad that she had.

She picked up the simple black cocktail dress, and held it up to her slight frame. She bit her lip and prayed that Ethan and Connor wouldn't make a big deal about her uncharacteristic wardrobe choice.

She dropped the dress on the bed, ran over to the vanity dresser at the front of the room, inspected her features, and played with her hair.

She hoped that she wouldn't look like a little girl playing dress up. If Hunter found her attempt at being desirable laughable, she would just die.

…

"For the last time," Kapri snapped, "I'm alright!"

Cam opened his mouth again, but Kapri's pointed glare made him think otherwise. He snapped his mouth close, and followed her to the trunk of the car.

Kelly popped the lid, and began unloading the food. "I just need a nice warm bath, some food, and some sleep. Today has been exhausting."

Kapri nodded in agreement, "my thoughts exactly."

Cam sighed, "I know. But the dino ran-" he fell silent immediately, realizing his misstep. His eyes widened with panic.

Kelly looked at him confused, "what's wrong?"

Kapri cringed and shook her head.

"I-I…I forgot what I was going to say," Cam stammered out a lie.

Kelly either didn't notice, care, or was too tired to question the blunder. Instead she picked up a bag and handed it to Cam. "Let's go," she motioned her head towards the girls' beach house, "I wonder how much damage Tor and Marah caused," she kidded lightly.

…

Kira stepped out into the foyer just as Kapri, Kelly and Cam entered the beach house.

"Hey," Kapri greeted, going over to hug her, "what's up?"

"Lots," Kira stated with a smile, "I'll fill you in later," she gushed, pulling away from Kapri and going to hug Kelly.

"Hi," Kelly greeted brightly. She hugged Kira, pulled away, analyzed the room, and turned to face her confused, "_where_ is everyone?"

"The guys place," Kira pointed her thumb - motioning to her right. "Your stove is broken."

Cam, Kelly, and Kapri shared a look and burst out laughing.

Kira joined in.

"At least the house is still standing," Kapri noted.

Kelly buried her head in her hands and laughed, "they are going to kill us for torturing them."

…

"You sure you guys are alright?" Dustin asked, checking up on everyone.

Shane and Marah stepped into the living room, and joined Dustin, Tori, Blake, Austin, Paige, Faith, Connor and Ethan.

Marah waved at him brightly, but that seemed to do little to lighten Dustin's mood. He was at her side instantly, staring at her up and down – checking for what, Marah wasn't sure.

"You okay?" Dustin asked, finally. "You're not hurt?"

"I'm fine," Marah palcated. "I was-" she laughed suddenly, causing everyone to stare at her.

"I was on my way to the_ bathroom_," Marah stated through a laugh. "Thank god I wasn't in there when the earthquake happened."

Tori grinned broadly at that, "could you imagine?"

"Thank god you didn't pee yourself right there in our hallway," Shane teased.

Marah smacked him.

Shane took note of Austin, Paige, and Faith, "when did you guys get here?"

"A little while ago," Austin answered.

"Where are the others?" Dustin asked, confused.

Something silent and quick passed between the three drifters. It happened so quickly, that in a blink it would have been unnoticeable.

"They're taking care of something," Faith dismissed.

"They should be here soon," Paige explained.

…

Kira led the charge up the stoop and onto the porch of the boys' beach house.

Hunter let out a low whistle when he saw her, "you sure clean up good."

Kira blushed at that, "thanks."

He heard someone mumble something – and whipped his head towards the sound, only to find Kelly and Cam stepping onto the porch.

Kelly threw something down and off into the distance – down the steps, while Cam poked his head out from behind Kira, "is everyone alright?"

"Everyone's fine," Hunter reported.

Hunter took notice of the bags Cam and Kelly were struggling with, "what are those?"

Kelly smiled mischeviously, "you didn't think Kap and I would really sic Tori and Marah on you, did you?"

…

"You sure clean up good."

"Thanks."

Kapri felt something almost painful spread through her. It was stifling and raw. She pushed the bag she was holding at Kelly, and stopped her trek short – halfway up the steps to the porch.

Kelly looked at her confused.

"I think I forgot something in your car," Kapri lied. She needed to get away from here. She couldn't be around anyone right now. Something agonizing was bubbling to the surface within her, and she didn't want Cam and Kelly to witness that horror. But most of all she didn't want _Hunter_, to see her like that.

Kelly threw her, her keys wordlessly, turned back around, and continued up to the porch.

Kapri bolted down the stairs and ran past the boys' driveway.

Then she ran onto the girls' driveway and continued running until her feet stopped moving. She was behind the large oak tree that graced the front lawn of the girls' beach house.

She looked around and realized that no one was around to witness her misery.

She unleashed the full wrath of her angst and ugly cried, hard – slouching against the tree and collapsing to the grass slowly in an emotional heap.

…

Hunter flung open the front door and smiled, "about time!" he greeted with a grin.

Noah held his hands up in apology, "sorry. Sorry. Were you guys waiting on us?"

Hope flashed Hunter a weak smile, and stepped into the house behind Noah.

Hunter shook his head and craned his neck passed them, and then peeped on to the porch confused, "where's Matt?"

"He's here," Hope explained, "he'll be in shortly. He's just outside. There was something he wanted to check out."

"I could go get him," Noah informed, taking a step back.

Hunter shook his head, "that's cool. He'll get here when he gets here." He narrowed his eyes and shot a quick look back on to the porch and closed the door shut lightly. "So are you guys alright? That earthquake was intense."

Noah and Hope paled and stiffened.

"We're fine," Hope stated, her voice held a hidden depth.

Noah's tone was just as cryptic, "_we_ weren't in harm's way."

…

Her vision blurred. She probably looked like a madwoman, but she didn't care. She didn't even understand _why_ she was crying.

Maybe the events of the day-… Scratch that. The events of the past _months_ had finally taken its toll on her.

And so what if Hunter thought Kira looked good. Why the hell would that bother her? Kapri didn't care about what Hunter thought. Or felt. Or _who_ he even cared for. She didn't care about him.

She _hated_ him.

So why was she reacting in such a way? Why did it feel like something in her had shattered; had broken – had died?

She wailed loudly again, only to feel a pair of arms grab her and pull her up off the ground.

Kapri looked up and blinked away fat tears – all the while struggling to get a good look at the person who had stumbled upon her emotional breakdown.

Arms circled around her and pulled her close.

She blinked hard, her tears clearing – she finally got a good look at his face.

It was Hunter.

…

Marah found a quiet spot and sat in silence.

Her mind was kicked into overdrive.

What the hell had just happened? And who was it that she had heard screaming in pain along with her?

She knew in her gut that she had not imagined what she had heard.

Someone had been in the house.

Someone had been in pain.

But who was it?

And why did the earthquake seem to affect them both?

Marah bit her lip, folded her hands in her lap, and waited. One thing was for certain: she needed to find and speak to her sister.

…

Kapri latched onto Hunter desperately and cried.

She knew it was absurd, but she did it anyways.

He stroked her hair and held her.

Her mind was screaming at her to stop; that she should push him away, but something in her told her that she _wanted_ this. She needed to feel his hands around her. She needed to feel safe. He had made her felt safe. She couldn't remember when the last time she had felt that way was. But on the beach during that crazy messed up night, she had felt _safe_.

She froze at the memory of it, and slowly began to go rigid with shock. The night on the beach with Hunter had _felt_ different from _this_. She felt the opposite of safe in his arms right now.

Goosebumps erupted on her arm in sheer panic. What she felt right now was hard to explain. She knew that the person that held her would bring her no harm, and yet she didn't feel the feeling of protection that she had with Hunter. What she felt was…

She shook her head of the thought and stopped herself short.

No, she chastised herself mentally, that was ridiculous.

She pulled away quickly from the shoulder she had cried on, looked up and met Matt's gaze.

He licked his lips, "are you alright? What's wrong?"

Kapri took a step back, shook her head, her face crumpled as if she were in pain, and she made a strangled sound that sounded like a tortured sob.

Matt stared at her helplessly, "Kapri…?"

Kapri shrugged, "I don't _know_ what's wrong..." she realized how crazy she sounded, and added, "I just needed a good cry, that's all."

Matt stared at her incredulously.

Kapri averted his gaze. He probably thought she was insane. She felt like she was insane. Maybe Shane was right. Maybe she needed to talk to someone.

"Can we just pretend like this never happened?" she asked; her tone pleading.

Matt stared at her in silence. A hundred different emotions played across his face. He sighed and rubbed his temples, "if that's what you want," he poised slowly.

"It's what I want," Kapri assured him.

Matt nodded, "alright. Then it's forgotten."

…

"There you are!" Kelly exclaimed, pulling Marah out of her daze. Kelly grabbed Marah by the hand and led her down the hall and into the living room.

"I found her," Kelly informed the others as she and Marah stepped into the room.

"One down," Blake acknowledged, "two to go. Where is Kap and Matt?"

"I thought you said he was right outside?" Hunter groused, turning to stare at Noah and Hope.

"He is," Hope answered.

Noah eyed Hunter with a foreign look.

"He was," Hope stated, unsure of herself.

The front door creaked as it opened.

Shane got up from his seat on the couch, stuck his head into the hallway, yelled a greeting, then came back into the living room. "They're here," he informed.

"Good!" Kelly grinned, "time to eat!"

Tori and Marah exchanged a look, and then turned to look at Kelly confused.

"There is no dinner," Marah reminded.

"I _dropped_ the turkey," Tori recapped.

"Yes," Kelly agreed, "But Kap and I thought ahead. Dinner's waiting in the kitchen."

"Oh thank god," Shane sighed, breathing a heavy sigh of relief.

The others all voiced their relief as well.

Kapri and Matt stepped into the room wordlessly.

Tori turned on all of them like a coiled snake, "You guys suck!"

"What the hell!" Marah's expression turned ill, "so I shoved my hand up that things ass for nothing!"

…

After dinner, everyone dispersed and relaxed.

Kira stared at Blake for the umpteenth time that night, but he didn't seem to notice her. She was about to give up, when she suddenly realized that he had finally met her gaze. She nodded silently towards the doors that led out on to the front porch.

Blake nodded and made a move to get up – signalling that he understood her.

Kira breathed a sigh of relief and headed out on to the porch wordlessly, just as Blake fell into step with her.

He closed the door closed behind them as they disappeared outside.

Blake eyed her curiously and stuffed his hands into his pockets, "what's up?" If truth be told, he was a bit nervous about how their conversation would play out. Kira had written him after she left, and had informed him that there were no ill feelings left between them. She had voiced her request that she wished they could still be friends.

Blake had responded, agreeing to what she had asked.

"We're good right?" Kira asked worriedly, biting her lip.

Blake nodded brightly, "yeah," then faltered a little, "I hope so."

Kira breathed a sigh of relief, "good."

"Were you worried that we weren't?" he asked.

She shook her head, "No. It's just…" she trailed off and stared at him anxiously.

Blake narrowed his eyes at her, "what?"

"Forget it," she dismissed quickly, "I shouldn't have said anything. It was stupid. It _is_ stupid. Not to mention wrong."

Blake stared at her peculiarly, "okay now you _have_ to tell me what's up. I'm not letting you off this porch otherwise."

Kira scrunched her face and gulped.

"Come on," Blake egged on, "what's up?"

"It's about your brother," Kira asked nervously, playing with her hands.

"Hunter?" Blake stated confused. "what about him?"

Kira stared at him wordlessly for a few seconds; debating her question internally.

"Kira!" Blake persisted.

Kira sighed and shot him a cautious look, "is he dating anyone?"

Blake started and blinked at her in shock.

…

Kapri stared at herself in the mirror. She was standing in the deserted hallway. Laughter floated towards her every now and then from the living room.

Kapri closed her eyes and frowned. She could barely bring herself to stare at her own reflection. When she and Marah had first arrived on earth, she had been so hopeful – so grateful for the change. She was finally getting to the point where she could finally stare at herself in the mirror and be proud of the person she was – the person she could become.

But Hunter had destroyed her new resolve. Hunter - he was a whole other kind of mirror. She could see herself through his eyes. She could still see the person she once was, mirrored in the pain that resided in his eyes.

Hunter showed her the truth; he showed her who she was, and it was evident that he was never ever going to let her forget the person she had once been.

"We need to talk!"

Kapri flinched and followed the source that the harsh whisper had come from. She turned and found Marah staring at her with a panicked expression.

Kapri sighed; she was so tired. She felt like screaming. But she didn't do that. Instead she stared at Marah expectantly. "What?" she asked loudly.

"Sssh!" Marah hissed, she approached her sister, and closed the space between them. "Did you experience any weird headaches today?"

Kapri blinked, "during earthquake – it happened to you_ too_?"

"What the hell is going on?" Marah hyperventilated; her voice rose higher and higher as she spoke.

Kapri sighed. "Whatever it is that's _supposed_ to happen," she stated uncaringly.

Marah frowned, "What?"

"You heard me," Kapri repeated; she sounded exhausted. "You can't fight a losing battle."

Marah stared at her incredulously, "hunh? What are you talking about?"

"_This_," Kapri stated meaningfully, motioning to the space around her and Marah. "We were _evil_. We _are_ evil. And we will _always_ be evil."

Marah took a step back away from her, "you can't mean that. What's gotten into you?"

"Reality," Kapri stated wearily. "You can't run away from the truth."

"The _truth_?" Marah questioned. "The truth is that something is going on! Something is _happening_ to us! We need to tell someone."

"Go ahead," Kapri insisted.

Marah could only stare at her in wonder. Where was the fight she expected? The strength, the resolve, the conviction? Her sister sounded so devoid of hope – like she had convinced herself that she was a lost cause.

"Kapri…?" Marah reasoned; how could she convince Kapri that she was speaking nonsense when part of her believed the words that her sister was spewing.

Dustin stepped into the hallway suddenly – but Kapri and Marah didn't notice.

He grinned and hid in the shadows. A devious smile spread across his lips. He waited silently for his chance to jump out and scare both of them. But what Kapri said next, slayed something deep inside of him. He could feel the joy of earlier die within.

"We _opened_ the abyss," Kapri reminded. "_We_ brought Lothor back!"

Marah swallowed hard, but jumped quickly towards her, "Sssh! Quiet!"

Dustin blinked rapidly in shock. He stared at the two in disbelief, but slipped out of the hallway undetected.

Marah frowned and stared at Kapri pointedly.

"You want to tell Cam and Sensei," Kapri informed, "go ahead. I won't stop you, but prepare yourself for the fallout."

Marah sulked at that.

"And judging from your expression," Kapri noted, "you and I both know how _that_ is going to play out."

"I'm _not_ evil," Marah insisted, "you're not evil. Something's just… wrong. Something's wrong with us. We keep getting sick and-"

"_Exactly_!" Kapri interrupted. "We _keep_ getting sick."

"So?" Marah challenged; her voice filled with dread.

"Maybe our bodies are trying to tell us something," Kapri reasoned, " and we keep ignoring it. We _want_ to be good. We _wish_ we were good, but we're not. Our bodies keep telling us that we're fighting a losing battle. It doesn't matter how badly we want to be good, because we're not good people-"

"No!" Marah took a step back, not wanting to hear anymore. Kapri didn't give her that satisfaction.

"Our bodies are trying to tell us to stop fighting, Marah!" Kapri insisted, "we need to stop trying and just let the inevitable claim us. We need to except our fate, and let go of our stupid delusional dream. We will _never_ be good. I'm tired of fighting, Marah. I'm exhausted."

"So you're giving up?" Marah shotback; hoping that a little reverse psychology would work its magic on Kapri; "just like that?"

Kapri exhaled loudly.

"You're not a quitter!" Marah reminded.

"No. I'm not." Kapri acknowledged. "I'm not a quitter. I've just _finally_ realized who I am. It's time to move on and stop pretending."

…

"You're not even going to try and hide your dislike, are you?" Noah noted, referring to the secretive daggers Austin was shooting Blake.

"Would you rather I just be two-faced and fake a smile and think evil thoughts about him in my head?" Austin asked sarcastically.

Noah grimaced. "He's going to notice. How could he not? You're going to arise questions."

"Maybe I'm just channelling your dad," Austin smarted. "…He doesn't seem to like you."

Noah stiffened at that, "what do you mean?"

"Are you really that blind?" Austin laughed, "The guy looks like he wants to beat you to death with a ninja staff. You need to chill and steer clear of your mom."

Noah froze and turned a sickly shade of green, "He thinks I like-" he stopped himself short and shuddered with disgust, "_Gross_! How could he think-…Why would he-…but I have a girlfriend!"

Austin looked like he wanted to do nothing more but roll of the floor with laughter.

Noah's face fell.

Austin sighed, regretting his snark. He should have known better. Just because his father was an ass, didn't mean he had to be an insensitive jerk. He'd done everything in his power to make sure he'd never turn out like him.

Noah on the other hand, idolized his father – ever since he was little, all he ever wanted was to be exactly like him.

Austin frowned. He really should have known better – this news was bound to destroy Noah.

"Well then I'll just ignore mom. If that's what he wants, I'll do what he wants," Noah explained out loud; but it sounded more like instructions for himself.

"Why do you do that?" Austin questioned, staring at him intently, "why do you put so much pressure on yourself? Your father asks nothing from you. You know he loves you. He's proud of you."

"You have no idea what it's like to be the eldest son of a Sensei," Noah groused, "People expect certain things from you."

…

"Y-you like Hunter?" Blake repeatedly, stupidly.

Kira paled, "this is why I didn't want to tell you! It's so Greek tragedy – I'm such a skank."

Blake started at that and then burst out laughing. "You are not a _skank_."

Kira grimaced.

"Look," Blake reasoned, "you just surprised me – that's all. The question took me by surprise."

"So you're not mad?" Kira asked, carefully.

"No," Blake explained with a bright grin, "I'm not mad."

"Thank god," Kira breathed a sigh of relief.

A beat passed between them, until Blake suddenly spoke, "the answer is no."

Kira looked up at him confused, "hunh?"

"About Hunter," Blake informed, "he's not dating anyone."

"Oh," Kira stated smally. Her eyes danced at the mention of it.

"But..." Blake warned.

Kira looked up at him with dread.

"He's not the boyfriend type," Blake explained.

Kira frowned at that.

"Don't get me wrong," Blake further explained. "I love my brother, but I don't want to see you get hurt. Hunter's never had a girlfriend."

"Neither have you," Kira pointed out.

Blake grinned, "yeah, but the difference is – Hunter doesn't _want_ a girlfriend."

"Oh," Kira stated quietly, her face fell.

"I'm not telling you _not_ to go for it," Blake informed, "I'm just giving you a heads up. Who knows, maybe you'll change his mind on the whole 'relationship' thing. But _I_ wouldn't be a good friend if I didn't at least warn you, you know?"

"I know," Kira admitted. "Thanks for looking out for me."

Blake smiled at that, "anytime."

"But I have a question," Kira informed.

"Yeah?"

"Does age matter to him?" Kira asked earnestly, "I mean, he _is_ twenty and I'm seventeen."

"Does this mean you're going to try to make an honest man out of him?" Blake laughed.

Kira blushed, "If he'll have me."

Blake grinned at that.

…

Austin, Noah, Hope, Paige, Matt, and Faith waved goodbye and bided everyone goodnight as they left the boys' beach house.

Once down the path – and out of earshot – Faith beckoned the group to a stop. "So?" she demanded. "What happened?"

Hope and Noah exchanged telling glances, while Matt turned to his un-privy cousins with the full report, "Vexacus summoned more than just the Kelzack's tonight. He freed Choobo and Zurgane as well."

Austin stuffed his hands into his pockets, "good," he breathed with a sigh of relief, "but what happened to Vexacus?"

"He took off," Noah explained, "but he won't go far. It'll only be a matter of time before he comes back." He nodded quickly into the distance, towards the beach house that they had just left, "they've got something he _wants_."

…

* * *_** PLEASE REVIEW **_* * *

**A/N:** For those of you who haven't: fav'd, bookmarked, or alerted this fanfic in some way – a word of caution: I'm changing the title. This story will soon be renamed to BLUE BAY HARBOUR. As a result, I've posted this fanfic's OPENING CREDITS on youtube. Just look for: **Blue Bay Habour – Opening Credits** or look up my youtube account: **wickedlyunique **

Also, this story will carry an R rating. So if you squirm during offensive language and sexual situations – you might want to stop reading, because this fanfic is going to get very erotic (as erotic as it's been so far. I'm not amping up the smut. So, if you've stomached it this far – you'll be fine) in some chapters. Not to mention, it will get pretty dark. Fans of my other stories know all about my obsession with angst and happy endings. I tend to throw some pretty heavy angsty stuff at you, and then wipe your tears away with a happy ending; that's just how I roll.

Anywhoo,

Just in case I don't get the time to pen a new chapter before Christmas or New Years – I'll wish ya'll right now.

So, happy hohoho's and a merry jingle jingle to all.

And Happy 2012 to all of you my lovelies – here's to hoping that this year will be much better than 2011 ever was.

* * *_** PLEASE REVIEW – They're my drug. **_* * *


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